David A. Sharman Collage Artist

New Art Blog

2011-03-31T13:25:00.003+01:00

I have a new art blog which you may care to visit by clicking on the above image.

with thanks

The End

2009-12-26T09:52:00.002Z

It is with much regret that I have to stop posting on this blog. Most of the art contained on this blog has been lost due to an accident where they were stored. This blog will not be closed but please be aware that it will not be updated. Another blog will be started when I return to my art. with thanks

And things to make

2009-04-30T23:45:00.004+01:00

Here are some recent works from March/April 2009 and I have been working on the block image collections and the results are as follows:

1. 'Limited Edition' March 2009 £45

2. 'He was mad' March 2009 - £40

3. 'GA' - April 2009 - £30

4. 'At Some Places' April 2009 - £40

5. 'And things to make' April 2009 - £55

Art for sale

2009-04-21T11:05:00.003+01:00

These two pieces of art are for sale on Ebay if you are interested in having your own piece of David A. Sharman get in quick these piecce are only for sale for 5 days! Go on you know you can't live without it!!!!!!

This piece is called 'UX' and here is the link to the sale on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=150340504772

This other piece is called 'Atha' and here is the link for this sale:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=150340503763

Thanks for viewing and I hope that you make a bid.

9 New Pieces

2009-03-10T16:45:00.006Z

There has been a time when art took second place. It hid in the corners of the room, there was no way that the pile of old magazines and books that had been used for previous pieces were to be used again. The call of the act of art was a dying monster that had come to a point where it was silent and unloved. I took time out to see what would happen if there was no outpouring of the talent. I knew that I wanted to see if the eagerness would return to be rekindled to be alive with the same emotion that had been there in the beginning of the need to be an artist, or at least be artistic, it faded like a candle burning out to a thin line of smoke that faded away!

I was lost, 12 months, long depressing months of no work, no art, no need to be creative, except through the art of photography. Then early this year, the need to be, to create to relate to my surroundings, and here I am the maker of works, the person who has come back to be an artist!

Here are 9 pieces from February laid bare.

1. Cause is unknown - £25

Magazine collage about modern life, the rich stars that fade and burn like a bonfire.

2. Mobility - £35

The distressed pieces are here to be observed, life is all about Mobility once that is gone you are left alone and depressed.

3. The Ideal City - £30

Not just the Ideal City but the Ideal life, where everything is simple and nothing is a worry but the closing of a chapter.

4. You Make The Most - £40

That is the slogan on a wall. That is the rally cry, that is the thought in your mind just before you sleep, are you a social chameleon? Do you need to make the most.....?

5. Shipments - £30

Await the shipments of news, good or bad, happy or sad? There is too much clutter to this world when all is dark within the bright day.

6. Blat - £40

Drink Blat, Friday/Saturday night part-time owl, the weekender is the wonder, the ninth wonder of the twenty-first century and its a fix, not an answer.

7. Naked - £20

We all need a naked life, one where we are left laughing at our body shape and made to accept who we are and who we should be instead of arguments of cover girls/boys and sadness.

8. Do Not Open Here - £45

The rubbish of society, the lack of money, the bills, the headaches, the rust of numbness, the mail of departure, here we capture it all blank. threatening, dark afternoons of sleep.

9. Clones, Below

Fashion dictators, the clones of life, the lost of freedom of original thought, the failed artist of misery, the torn and distressed image of lifelessness that dances on a frail night to confuse the masses.

NEW WORK SOON

2009-03-10T15:34:00.002Z

Hi,

after too many months away, there is new collage work on its way! The new pieces will be uploaded in the next couple of days!

David Sharman

On Safari

2008-09-02T16:19:00.008+01:00

Here are three examples of posters that I have designed for three gigs. I hope that you like them.

Photoshop Collage

2008-06-23T01:26:00.004+01:00

I have been working up images in Photoshop to do digital collage for a while and I thought that it was time to post them on the blog. I am going to let the images speak for themselves.

'Promised'

'Il West'

'Danger'

'Rescue'

'80'

More Digital Art

2008-05-12T05:38:00.003+01:00

Girl 5

Started life as a picture of a girl and ends up being an abstract in an impressionistic style

Girl 7

Continuing with the image above sunrays were added for greater effect

Lemonorange

This is another in the Pascal Le Gras image factory

Map of Icecream

I thought that with the colours that ended up in the finished piece that it reminded me of Ice cream when I was a kid, so that is where the title comes from.

Nude1

Another image of a nude girl that has been turned into an abstract.

More soon............

Digital Art

2008-05-12T05:12:00.006+01:00

This is a new direction for me and one that has come as a surprise. Being extremely busy in the last couple of months and having no time for collage, I have been working on a laptop and producing digital art. I am not a huge fan of digital art but I am very pleased with the results that I have created so far and so I thought that I would share them with you

Abstract One

I have no idea what the orginal picture was but I love the effect created in Photoshop.

Abstract 6

This reminds me of the work of Pascal Le Gras, who designed many of the Fall's CD covers in the 1990's.

Female 2b

This started life as a picture of a nude lady and was worked into an abstract.

Female2

Another worked piece taken from a photograph of a female.

Four8

Another image worked through many stages in Photoshop

Stained Glass Tomorrows

2007-11-22T19:22:00.000Z

Sorry that there hasn't been a blog entry in so many months. I have been so busy with my life that I am afraid to say that art has taken a back seat. That is not to say that I have not been producing art when I feel so inclined.

Music Girl - October 07 - For Sale £45
This piece is all about how people on the go have to be listening to their music and they are losing out on the sounds of the city. Ipods are to blame for future deafness on mass!

Slanted and Enchanted - October 07 - For Sale - £45
This piece is all about the way that modern architecture is falling away from traditional shapes in the UK and going for a more Swedish look with the shapes of the roofs and the nature of the over all shape of the buildings.

Stained Glass Tomorrows - October 07 - For Sale - £120
This piece started out as an abstract, but due to the fact that I had a lot of black paint, I decided to make it look like a stained glass window.

Suicide Blonde - October 07 - For Sale - £45
Based on the song by Inxs I saw this model in a porn magazine and decide to make her into a Icon of the twenty-first century. I like the way that she is clearly wearing a wig.

Sunset Apartments - October 07 - For Sale - £200
This continues from the paintings of last year and the year before. I likened it to the sun going down on a hill side full of apartments blocks and I love the colours that are warm and inviting.

Autumn Sunrise - October 07 - For Sale - £50
This is the darker side of life, as summer ends so we have autumn and the darker nights, rain and coldness that leads us into winter.

Fields - September 07 - For Sale - £50
This piece is based on an aerial photograph of farmers fields and it has bright colours that spell out another season of joy, summer.

Glamour Junk - October 07 - For Sale - £40
The glamour model icon of modern advertising is hit with the powerful words of advertising. Bombarding us with the message that is missed completely.

Lucy in the Junk - October 07 - For Sale - £40
Another message of easy pornography in the twenty-first century. How it is used and over used to sell all most everything including sex.

Model Junk - October 07 - For Sale - £40
Another chance to expose the soft-core element of advertising in this easy target of modern advertising. The words get bigger and so do the profits.

Isles in the Sea

2007-09-23T22:25:00.000+01:00

This is a collection of pieces that I have been working on from August to September. There are painted collages and soon the new paintings will be exposed on my blog.

Amassed Objects - September 07 - For Sale - £20

As it says it is a collection of objects, using the style of each piece of paper to make the overall impression of the symbolism.

Exposure - August 07 - For Sale - £15

More random pieces than you can shake a stick at. Blue is the colour and winning is the game.

For Suzanna, August 07 - Not for Sale

The images on this piece are all for Sue, including her interest in photography, art, motherhood and Jesus Christ, lets pray!

Hidden Beauty - September 07 - For Sale - £40

This is the sin to christ. A painted collage of a topless model and we all pray it stays hidden in the mixed up painted squares of my imagation.

Home - September 07 - For Sale- £15

A small piece of shaped collage of stamps and images of the home. Because home is where the heart is.

Isles in the Sea - August 07 - For Sale - £15.99

More Schwitters than you can shake a monkey at. Its all about being random and random being the object in this piece. More pieces than a pie. More puzzles than in the dark circles of the mind.

Items - August 07 - For Sale - £15.75

All items that make up the items of the items that are in the picture called Items.

OT - September 07 - For Sale - £25.98

The images are painted over and the words are blurred like a hangover. More over the images are changed into something new and exciting. Read on Mcduff...

Siby - September 07 - For Sale - £21.95

This is a new piece of furniture and its flatpacked. Who is Siby? Do you know a Siby. Does it have a life of its own?

Special Appointment - August 07 - For Sale - £29

Upperclass images from a bygone area make this piece of green very clean and nice on the eye. The religious side of tea, a victim will tell all.

Busy Street - August 07 - For Sale - £31

Every town, has its traffic rush and here is the street of shops. Raining and English.

Veined - September 07 - For Sale - £50

Painted pieces of collaged tomorrows taken from yesterdays images and made inot the future past. Roll-up! Roll-up! the eyes are watching us!

Colourful Rain in the Summer

2007-08-13T18:15:00.000+01:00

Its been a really busy time for me recently, but that hasn't stopped me from producing new works of art. I have spent a while sorting out my sources and influences and have come up with some pieces that I am proud of. Towards the end of August beginning of September I will return to painting for a while.

'Scarlet Bride' - June 07 - For Sale - £35

This picture came from a magazine that I got out of a skip about weddings. I like the fact that it was not a white outfit that is more traditional.

'Joseph Turner' - June 07 - For Sale - £35

When I first came across Turner I was not impressed but I can understand the attaction in some of his work and for that I thought that it would be good to make him into a icon and accept that he is an influence after all.

'Turner's first job was as an assistant to an architect. At the age of fourteen he decided to become an artist, and began to study at the schools of the Royal Academy. His early work consisted of drawings and watercolours on paper; it was some years before he felt ready to start painting in oils.
Turner exhibited his first oil painting at the Royal Academy, Fishermen at Sea, in 1796, when he was twenty-one. Success came relatively early, and in 1803, at the age of twenty-seven, he began work on the spacious gallery in his house in Harley Street, which not only advertised his achievements but provided a more sympathetic setting for some pictures than the crowded walls of the Great Exhibition Room at the Royal Academy. Nevertheless, he continued to exhibit at the RA and, unlike a number of other British artists, he remained involved with the Academy throughout his career. He become an Associate Member in 1799, aged twenty-four, and a full Member in 1802, as well as being elected Professor of Perspective in 1811, and appointed acting President in 1845.
In his later life he began sending to the Academy exhibitions unfinished canvases which one contemporary described as being 'without form and void, like chaos before the creation'. He would then complete them in the exhibition room on Varnishing Days, virtuoso performances which soon became legendary'. from Tate Britain website.

'Colourful Rain' - June 07 - For Sale - £25

This is block of colour that make up the picture and for that it is raining.

'Ladyfaces' - June 06 - For Sale - £55

It has been a chance to use tinfoil again. I liked the pattern on the bottom girl's outfit. I used lots of colours to make this as bright as I could.

'Busy traffic at Dusk' - June 07 - For Sale - £40

It was an attempt to pass comment on the increase in traffic all over the world. This picture was taken in Italy. I like the banners of colour in the mosiac patterning.

'Decline and Fall of Mining' - June 07 - For Sale - £35

Drift mining and a politicial comment on the fall of mining in the UK.

'The Bride and her futuristic Groom' - June 07 - For Sale - £50

Another chance to use tinfoil and use a futuristic image to complement that style. The Bride came from the Bride Magazine. It was meant to have a sort of Black and white and silver effect.

'A Circle of Time' - July 07 - For Sale - £50

Going back to my use of watches in my pieces. Circles make a return as well.

'A view of the Heavens' - July 07 - For Sale - £50

A follow-on from the time piece and this time trying to be more colourful.

'Psycho Mafia' - June 07 - For Sale - £45

This piece was concieved when I saw the illustration in a magazine I obtained earlier this year about health. The title comes from an early Fall single and goes like this:

Spitting on the streets/Numb heads and feet/Nowhere to go/Won't let us in the shows
'Cos we talk about love/And the Psycho-Mafia/I'm talking 'bout love/And the Psycho-Mafia
No soul in the discos/No rock in the clubs/Won't let us in the pubs/And the city joys
Going on about love/And the Psycho-Mafia/I'm talking about love/And the Psycho-Mafia
Psycho-Mafia/Psycho-Mafia/'cho /Mafia/'cho Mafia.

'Dancing Faun' - July 07 - For Sale - £45

This is another chance to return to my interest in statues that use to feature in my poetry.

'Prophet of the World' - Aug 07 - For Sale - £50

This is all about the lack of Prophets in this world and how we need them more than ever. The Male image that I have used is meant to show how much of a state the world is in!

'Dream' - Aug 07 - For Sale - £35

This Schwitters for the 21st Century. Answers on a postcard!

Gray Ghost & Others

2007-07-24T17:40:00.000+01:00

In this collection of new pieces I am returning to an early more simple style. It is a chance for me to re-invent myself and as life has been very busy for me it gives me the ease of producing work in a shorter space of time.

Mr Smooth - July 2007 - For Sale - £35

This piece I produced the night before the Exhibition in Holy Cross Church and took along on the chance that it might get displayed. I like the way that the body falls away to reveal only hands and that he is a very handsome man. I usually get told that I do too many pieces with woman in them and this was a chance to correct that ballance.

'Girlfriend' - July 07 - Not for Sale

This is a picture that I took last year of Kerry in a pub in Hove. As I have only ever done one other picture of Kerry, I thought that it was time to produce another.

'San Cristobal Youth' - Jan 06 - For Sale - £35

This piece was found when I was tidying my flat. It shows the youth of San Cristobal playing the trumpet which is their way of keeping out of trouble.

'Ice Cream' - July 07 - For Sale - £45

This is a picture that was used to advertise a certain type of Ice Cream. I always liked the image when it first came out. I was pleased when I discovered the advert in some magazines that I found in the street, because it gave me a chance to use the image and turn it into art.

'Gray Ghost' - July 07 - For Sale (framed) - £50

Gray Ghost is a blues musician and has been around since the 1920's. I found some information on the internet about him:

'...Although he had played around Austin and throughout the Southwest and nation since the 1920s, even much of the blues hardcore was unaware of Grey Ghost. Despite some rambling sections and others where rhythmic organization isn't a strong point, there's plenty of vintage boogie and good-natured barrelhouse playing and singing on this set. He wasn't among the greatest in the genre, but certainly belonged in the group close to the top...' ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide.

'Julianna's Wariness' - July 07 - For Sale(Framed) - £50

This shows an 80 year old lady who was weary of some visitors and was wondering about the invasion of her privacy. She lives in a remote area of mongolia and is a relative of Genghis Khan.

'Boatman' - July 07 - For Sale - £35

This is an image of a boatman who takes tourists down the three gorges, which is part of the Yangtze. It looks to be a bit of a dangerous job, but then someone has to do it!

'The Model' - July 07 - For Sale - £20

I have always wondered if I could use a picture where the photograph had been taken with part of the head missing. It seems to be fashionable to take close ups of the face and miss out part of the top of the head. In this piece, which I must say that I am very pleased with, it is possible to use such an image.

'Forever' - July 07 - For Sale - £20

Another in the series where the top of the head is missing. I like the force of attention on this piece where it is the tattoo which says forever, hence the title of the piece.

Arts & Craft Exhibition

2007-07-16T20:53:00.000+01:00

As part of the Poets Corner Summer Festival Family Fun Day on Saturday 14th July 2007, I exhibited 4 pieces of my work. I composed a piece called "Paris, France" as the Festival theme this year is French. One piece, Mr. Smooth was done only a few nights before. 'Girlfriend' was also produced a few days before. 'Three Ladies" was damaged on the way home and has been destroyed. I will be composing another piece with the same theme in the very near future.

Window of Time

2007-06-28T17:48:00.000+01:00

Here is the first entry since adding all my preivous blogs from the AOL journal.

All these collaged pieces have not used the mosaic patterning that I am known for and I have attempted with a few of the new pictures to attempt to use other techniques.

1. 'Old Havana' - June 07 - For Sale - £40

This piece is the first where I have used tissue paper to give some depth to the piece and another type of texture. The title comes from the map that is pasted into the piece and it also uses a lot of thicker pieces of paper from books.

2. 'Icarus of Modern Times' - June 07 - For Sale - £35

This is a follow on from 'Jesus of Modern times' that I constructed last year. I like the fact that this modern day Icarus has glass wings that show the clouds of the sky. This is a painted called the Lament of Icarus by Herbert James Draper and shows him after going to close to the sun and falling from the sky. This pictures I used to have on my desk when I work at Mercury and I used to look at it alot when I was on a difficult call. I love the symbolism of Icarus and what it stands for.

3. 'Rude Beauty' - June 07 - For Sale - £45

This is a piece that I constructed to show just how much the female image is exploited in modern advertising and just how easy it is to sell products with a nice image of the female beauty. Also it seems that to be a topless model is an easy way for girls to make a lot of money in the 21st century and just how many would rather do that, than consider a career in banking.

4. Half Sisters - June 07 - For Sale - £40

My clever idea for this piece was to take the same image slice it into two and then give the impression that it was two different people due to a change in height. Lets hope that it worked.

5. 'Window of Time' - June 07 - For Sale - £35

This is a piece that is mainly constructed from images from home design book. There are also images from a famous clock and of men. All told it is about how short our 'window of time' really is on this planet. So make the most of it!

6. 'Zagros' - June 07 - For Sale - £55

This larger piece is made from torn strips of paper to make the overall picture. Most of the pieces use a the colour yellow and images from Japan. The title comes from Iraq's largest moutain range. I wanted it to look like a space where lots of poster had been pasted and over time they had been torn down to leave this lasting images.

7. 'First 101' - June 07 - For Sale - £45

This started off as a simple collage without much meaning and has ended up as a medition on sex and religion. Which are also a tag team having a fight in life. It is interesting how the religion trys to suppress sex outside of marriage. Priests abstaining, is just one example.

8. 'Community' - June 07 - For Sale - £50

I work as a volunteer in the 'volunteer and community sector', so, I decided to create my own multicultural society. As I believe that there is an increase in the towns and cities that are becoming very multicultural. It will of course end up with a multicultural world.

Poets Corner Summer Festival

2007-06-25T18:27:00.000+01:00

I have now transfered all information from my aol account and will be placing new pieces on this site in the next two weeks. I am also very heavily involved in the Poets Corner Summer Festival and if you care to check out their website on the following link:

www.poetscornerfestival.wikispaces.com

2007-06-25T18:26:00.000+01:00

1. Domestic Goddess - Aug 06 - For Sale - £50

This is an image of Nigella Lawson who is a famous chief and married to Charles Saatchi. She has been quoted as saying that she feels comfortable in her body and that she realises that she is no Kate Moss size 0 model. I am pleased that she is paving the way forward for women of her size and also I love her smile in this picture.

For more information on Nigella log onto http://www.nigella.com/

2. Weaver 9 - Jan 07 - For Sale - £35

This is the first image that I have done in while that uses my traditional mosaic patterning. The reason for the title is that there are nine shapes and they weave across each other to create the finished pattern.

3. Daytrip Siteseeing - April 07 - For Sale - £45

This is a collection of images that give a feeling of being near a seaside town. It maybe possible that when you go to this imaginary seaside town that you may see David Bowie as 'Ziggy Stardust'. The smiling lady in the middle left was comforting her child and you can see that happiness in her smile.

5. 'Rizons' - May 07 - For Sale - £30

The title of this piece comes from 'Horizons' and it is is all about what you could see if you look out over a busy town.

6. 'La Bella Figura' - May 07 - For Sale - £45

The title means 'beautiful figure' and I have applied it to this Italian Soldier. I love his uniform with sword and white gloves. It is a miltary uniform for display only and he stands to attention like most of his countrymen.

7. 'Naked Seaside' - May 07 - For Sale - £60

This is a busy seaside that has three semi-naked sunbathers in it. The seasides of European countries are becoming more and more populated with topless or even naked english girls.

8. 'Tense, Nervous, headache' - May 07 - For Sale - £45

Apart from being the title of an album by Boy George this was used in an advertising campaign in the 70's/80's and refers to a mirgraine. In the picture that I have used from 1968 it shows how the vibration of the headache effects all the sound around the person.

8. 'Weathered Coimbra Statue' - May 07 - For Sale - £45

Coimbra is a city in Portugal. The municipality has a population of 148,443 inhabitants in a 319.4 km² land area, and over 430,000 inhabitants live there. I used the image because I am interested in the weathering of statues and other outdoor sculptures.

Pop Art Patricia Pops Out

2007-05-24T19:36:00.001+01:00

The creative train rolls on and on. Since returning from my trip 'Up North' I have produced 5 new pieces and on I go. This time I have used only the patternation.

1. 'Circle Muses' - Hurrah! the circles return and this time we have a zodiac chart. The patterned background have slightly larger pieces than usual but that is none the worse for the piece.

2. 'Good Friday' - This is my Easter 2007 picture and I lost it for a while, but it came back to me I am pleased to say.

3. 'Pop Art Patricia Pops Out' - This is straight out of the book of Pop Art ala Peter Blake. I love this piece, it is very psychedelic and came from a magazine printed in 1969.
This is a scene from one of my favourite films, 'Yellow Submarine' I look upon Patricia as a naughty Yellow Submarine girlie. I love the use of a clock in the picture. To me the image is very clever.

4. 'Life Together' - This is an image that I created about my life with my girlfriend, Kerry. the dark circle represents the darkness of the world in which we live in. The golden brown and reds are the world in which Kerry and myself live in within the dark world. Kerry is the bottom abstract and I am the top one. Read into that what you will.

5. 'A blurred moment in a girl's life' - I like slightly blurred images and this gives the impression that the girl is in a hurry and she is carrying a small suitcase. Where is she going and what is her destiny? Interesting?

6. 'Bikini Girl looks out from a busy city' - The world is getting busier. I have created a world of bright reds and yellows of busy colours to my world. Added with images of wallpaper patterns. Yet in all the business of the city, there is time to spend relaxing and our bikini girl is in an uncomfortable postion, because for some, relaxing is almost a nightmare.

7. 'World of Harry' - Harry is an interior designer and he sits on his sofa, posing. He has David Hockney glasses and a deadpan smile. I have given him a window, is that the window on his world? It is an open window that invites you to observe him from within.

8. 'Clowning around the house' - A clown stands on one leg, his way of relaxing or all part of the act? Out the window is normal surbura leaking into the picture. You have two walls and then above the sky leaking in and below the earth leaking in as well. Where are the guys that wash their cars on Sunday mornings? Clowning around means to fool around and here is the clue to the theme. Life is rubbish, get out there and make fun while you can.
This could be your neighbours!

Curse of the Blue Dream

2007-05-24T19:35:00.001+01:00

'It's a curse, Well thy forsooth, Who is that interesting hack over there?, By Gad, verily, Cracked curse, disliked, burdened, It's a curse, and am not unguilty of using it' - Lyrics by Mark E. Smith of The Fall.
Here are nine pieces that were constructed in January of this year. Each piece is meant to be a story in itself. The influences are many, the styles are almost the same.

1. 'The Story of Judith' - A bible story - Judith means "Jewess". In the orginal painting she had cut off the head of Bethulia. I have made her into a hero of the last century with references to the first world war. Read into it what you will. One day will the Earth be water or dessert?

2. 'The Cardinal Obscura' - The title is taken from 'Camera Obscura' which from the latin means the following, Camera = Latin for “room”, Obscura = Latin for “dark”. So in this case it means that the Cardinal is dark.

3. 'The Curse of the Blue Dream' - A clown in quicksand is that? Clowns are the stuff of nightmares for some people, used in fiction as the evil side of the carnival and for others it is a clear case of finding them funny. If you see a clown in your dreams it means this:
'To see a clown in you dream, symbolizes absurdity, light-heartedness, and a childish side to your own character. The countenance of the clown is a reflection of your own feelings and emotions. Whether it is a happy clown or a sad clown, that will help guide you through how you may be feeling. The actions of the clown signifies your uninhibited nature. If you have a fear or phobia of clowns, the clown may represent a mysterious person in your life who mean you harm. Somebody you know may not be who they appear to be. Or somebody may be pretending to be somebody they are not and are hiding under a facade'.

4. 'A modern Lousie has a nightmare' - Another surreal dream piece. I felt that the girl in this picture looked like the old movie starlet, Louise Brook, mainly because of the hairstyle:
Louise Brook, a picture from the Louise Brook Society website. She died in 1985 and is remembered for that orginal 1920's hairstyle. Our modern Louise is having a bad time in my piece of art. At the top of her head is a map of Market Drayton and then a multiple exposure of waiting in a dream like state. It goes on to be scarey towards the bottom and the last image is about drowning.
I have an interest in multiple exposures, but can't seem to do them on my digital camera, which is a shame.

5. 'A Staircase Dream' - One of my favourite themes is Ladies dressed as men. I believe from the film 'Cabaret' that this was popular with ladies during the wars in Germany. In my dream piece, the sun is a watch face and the house is perched at the top of the staircase. It reminds me for some reason of Normal Bates in Hitchcocks 'Psycho'. I have a love for the artistic shapes that are produced by spiral staircases.

6. 'Ferris Halo Girl' - This is another attempt at 'Jacket Girl' style picture from last year. The halo is made up of a the slow exposure of a ferris wheel at a fairground at night. There is always an interest in the circus or the fairground in some of my work and this has come to a head here. It is a modern female Iconic image and shows an intention to collide two worlds together.

7. '5 Girls' - Another of my influence is Peter Blake as mentioned in other journal entries. This is a modern version of some of his 'Pop Art' pictures. In my work I have kept to the mosaic patterning and use circles as well.

8. 'Architectresque' - This piece follows the theme of the previous work and uses not the human form but builds in the top left is the Eiffel Tower designed by Gustav Eiffel and one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, France.
The Eiffel Tower was the winning entry in a competition for a ‘centerpiece’ for the Paris Exposition of 1889. The design by an engineer named Gustav Eiffel was selected from over three hundred entries for its striking design and for its economical structure which displayed the French prowess in metal construction.

9. 'Sunday Nude with Five Bars' - Tasteful, beauty posed for maximum control of style. As you can see it is like the bars in Peter Blake's work. I like to recycle paper and pictures in my art, which is popular at the moment. I sometimes feel that I am doing in art what Rappers/DJ's are doing with sampling past music and making them into a new piece of sound sculpture. I am very pleased with this section of work from earlier this year and I hope to bring more storytelling to my work. I love to be influenced and have an influence myself. I hope that this is a turning point in the continuing journey that is my artwork.

Half a World - Backlog 05-07

2007-05-24T19:34:00.001+01:00

This entry is a collection of some recently found works and those not published so far on this journal. There are still an amount of art from 06 that needs to be published within this journal and they should be entered within the next couple of months.

1. '2 Ladies' - This was an attempt in 2005 to use a picture that was solid in the piece and use the mosaic patterning as a 'frame'. Is it just a picture with a nice frame or is it telling us something, is there more to these ladies than we think?

2. 'Laugh' - This is taken from a large piece that was cut down to form what was the very first round picture, I ever created. I cut it out because the patterning of the outside was not in keeping with the colours of the circle and within.

3. 'AT HOME' - A chance in 05 to use text as well as pictures in my art. It is a surreal poem about friendship that was made up of text from a magazine and reads as follows:
'At home, discarded, tossed out with the rubbish. Two worlds meet, the songs are sad, wisely we use our scarcest commodity: time. People think I'm joking when I say some species, the isolated humans have such a magnetic sense in their compound eyes to use sound echoes to detect where you are, and the direction to your destination and substitue the veils of mystery to reveal answers that surprise and, in some cases, amaze.'

4. 'Half a World' - Half a girl, half a circle, all we need in this modernist world of packaging. The hair of the girl is salon ready.

5. 'Grey Monument' - Small pictures make up the incircle of life, on the outside grey life takes a greater place than it should. Travel, follow the map to peace away from the nightmare that is everyday life. Close a chapter and get on with everything else.

6. 'Majesty of Christ' - Cut down from a larger picture yet again. The centre is the centre of an ivory Christ. He is in his temple, all is well. Prayer is the answer, so pray to Christ for some answers and all will be well.

7. 'World's best nude' - This was my attempt at the cubist images of the early twentieth century. Climb into the picture, the pieces don't mean that there is a story or is there?

8. 'Men have more balls to play with' - The humour of the title of this piece shows that I designed this with a certain person in mind and that person knows who they are. It is unmounted because I decided not to give it to them. This is a man's world caprtured in all its morning glory. Wind, rain, hail the King!

Green Map Sunshine

2007-05-24T19:33:00.002+01:00

We open the box on yet another batch of imagination and March/April has proved that there is some interesting subjects to tackle and I wonder why that is. The major influence that is coming through is health and surrealism. That is mainly thanks to the work of Robert Motherwell:
Spanish Jail by Robert Motherwell
"To end up with a canvas that is no less beautiful than the empty canvas is to begin with."
In 1940, a young painter named Robert Motherwell came to New York City and joined a group of artists — including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Franz Kline — who set out to change the face of American painting. These painters renounced the prevalent American style, believing its realism depicted only the surface of American life. Their interest was in exploring the deeper sense of reality beyond the recognizable image. Influenced by the Surrealists, many of whom had emigrated from Europe to New York, the Abstract Expressionists sought to create essential images that revealed emotional truth and authenticity of feeling. On July 16, 1991, at the age of 76 he died: the last of the great Abstract Expressionists. From the 1949 painting, AT FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON, until the end of his life, Motherwell continued his search for a personal and political voice in abstraction. This search produced a body of work that remains a testament to the human soul and its persistence, and to the genre of abstract painting out of which it came.

1. 'White Jacket' - This 'hair piece' is taken from a hairdressing magazine and is mosaic'd on hardboard. Infact it is the first piece ever on hardboard.

2. 'Out of a grey rain moon, comes green map sunshine' - This is inspired by the work of Robert Motherwell and its the longest titled piece of my work ever. The idea was to give the whole story out of the title and not have to explain the piece if I had of called it "Cheese revenge!" or "Mountain of my soulmate's hair" I think that you get the drift.

3. 'Postive Energy' - After a day of negative energy I decided to come home and make a piece of work out of mainly the envolpes in which my girlfriend's birthday cards came in. Other sweet wrappers and crap came out of the litter bin and away we went on the Kurt Schwitters mode warp factor two.

4. 'Sunset Towers' - As the large collaged abstract moon goes down the building is bathed in sunset and it takes on a beauty of its own. The building is in Sweden, ten points if you guessed right!

5. 'The Man in the Golden Suit'. - This illustration come from a magazine sold in the 1970s and its about being shy! I thought that he didn't look that shy. As I used to be very shy (believe it or not) I could relate to the written text but not the picture, so I used it in my artworld. The title comes from the brilliant film starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novack.
the film stars Frank Sinatra as Frankie Machine, expert card dealer (hence the title). Recently released from prison, Frankie is determined to set his life in order-and that means divesting himself of his drug habit. He dreams of becoming a jazz drummer, but his greedy wife Eleanor Parker wants him to continue his lucrative gambling activities. Since Parker is confined to a wheelchair as a result of a car accident caused by Frankie, he's in no position to refuse. Only the audience knows that Parker is not crippled, but is faking her invalid status to keep Frankie under her thumb. Gambling boss Robert Strauss wants Frankie to deal at a high-stakes poker game; terrified that he's lost his touch, Frankie asks dope pusher Darren McGavin to supply him with narcotics. When McGavin discovers that Parker is not an invalid, she kills him, and Frankie (who is elsewhere at the time) is accused of the murder. He is willing to go to the cops, but he doesn't want to show up with drugs in his system. So with the help of sympathetic B-girl Kim Novak, Sinatra locks himself up and goes "cold turkey"-a still-harrowing sequence, despite the glut of "doper" films that followed in the wake of this picture. After Parker herself is killed in a suicidal fall, the path is cleared for Frankie to pursue a clean new life with Novak.

6. 'Sukhj Purvak' - In Yoga this is I believe the alternate nostril breathing posture:
Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor, spine straight, shoulders back.
Close your eyes.
Exhale completely through your nose.
Gently place your left thumb against your left nostril, closing it off.
Using the three-part breathing technique, inhale through your right nostril slowly and deliberately.
Release your left nostril and pinch your right nostril closed with your right thumb
Exhale completely through your left nostril, then inhale through your left nostril, pinch it closed and exhale through your right nostril. Repeat this alternating pattern five times, working up to 10.

7. 'Sleeping Drunk' - Another 1970's picture. Note the difference in the colour of the drunk's coat. His hand clutches the bottle for his dear life. Nowadays its young adults that need to be watched for the fear of alcholic abuse. Binge drinking is all the rage and its this age group that are going to be suffering in later life through abuse of the body.

8. 'Kinetic 2nd Wednesday' - This is based on a famous Bauhaus art movement picture:
Bauhaus was an art movement to which Kurt Schwitters was a member, also in the late 70's early 80's there was a semi-gothic group by the same name, which had a big hit with David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust'

9. 'Movement' - A flash of "Clockwork Orange" about this piece? Well its Motherwell meets Stanley Kurbrick in a head on smash. Yet, do you see a crowd watching all around waiting? Why is the mouth open? Surprise or 'ultraviolence', bring in Beethoven and the droogs. (This will mean nothing to those of you that have not seen the film).

10. 'An illusion of beauty under a padded sun' - The blurred movement of the female nude waiting in the doorway, the beating of a padded sun down on her body to give the golden light. Is that a hint of a smile upon her lips. Waiting again. There is a sense of disappointment with the blueness of the mosaic down one side and the multicoloured excitement to come.

11. 'Black-eyed Gina' - Dennis Potter was the most challanging drama writer of the twentieth centry and good luck to him. Blackeyes introduced us to Gina Bellman and what a performance. Most recently known for the comedy series 'Coupling'. She is a deep-eyed beauty and is married to an a sculpturist. In 'Blackeyes' the plot was about "Sugar Bush," tracing the rise and decline of fictional fashion model Blackeyes (Gina Bellman), victimized by men. No easy watching believe you me, but yet very challanging for Potter. GIna's best known quote is: "I don't understand happy people. How can you just be satisfied?"

12. 'A moment's reflection' - Its that time of day when you need to give yourself time to think about what is important in your life and how you should proceed. Naked at one with yourself, the eyes are the windows of the soul. Look deeper than most.
More on the way, like the heatwave Summer.

Concerto No. 2

2007-05-24T19:33:00.001+01:00

As promised this is a return to the Mosaic Patterning that I am famous for. There has been a willingness to use other styles but I will always return to this patterning as it I believe it is my signature.

1. 'Quiet Miracles' - This is an attempt to copy the painted style of the pieces that I constructed under the journal title of "5 Painted Pieces" from 12th Feburary. Most of the images used in this piece come from an article about the brain. There is movement in the brain and that shows itself in quiet miracles. The blue mosaic patterning is from a crumpled piece of paper and the lower green section isn't.

2. 'Concerto Number 2' - Another in the same style as the painted pieces and using a line to cut the piece into two different moasic'd patterned. The title comes from a magazine about classicial composers.

3. 'Florial Circles' - Circles have always played a large part in my art and this is an example of how the pattern of the circles in a way is hidden within the moasic patterning of the background.

4. 'Face Circle' - This is the first piece that I have done in a long time that doesn't have a boarder. The idea was to copy the style of some previous pieces, such as the ones about Marc Bolan and another about Kate Bush.

5. 'Imperial Circles' - This is all about the use of only circle to create the centre of attention and most of the circles come from a painting of Nepoleon Bonaparte.

6. 'Ceiling Appealing' - This is the clever use of two different Church ceilings being used to make a circle. Another half person comes into the scene to add to the human interest.

7. 'Maiden in Chains' - Another chance to use a black and white image within the coloured mosaic patterning. This piece was suggested by my friend Mark, who had seen other nudes that I had used in my art and said that I should do more with the female image. I am not sure that this is what he had in mind, but I am verypleased with the overtones within the piece.

8. 'Dorothy' - Created for a friend of Dorothy's. This is an attempt to improve on a previous piece that was constructed of Dorothy in 2005.

9. 'Smiling Dorothy' - From the same photo session as above this piece is for another member of the Dorothy Fan club. It is also an attempt to get back to the moasic patterning that was used in 2005 this time with images of underwater plants.

sail away pretty dreams

2007-05-24T19:32:00.001+01:00

Another batch of pictures, this time all with the same style. I have decided that I will be taking a break from this style for a while and returning to the moasic patterning that I am better known for. I will be producing a piece for Easter and some requested pieces from friends.

1. 'UMU' - Interesting title which comes from the drum. I have been using a lot of photographic magazines in my 'Schwitters world of collage' and this is shown in the three images of the young lady posing to show the different styles in posing and lighting effects.

2. 'Apparition' - This piece was constructed from distressed pieces of paper and is one of the smallest collages that I have ever done. To show the smaller size I have given it a 2 inch boarder on the mountboard.

3. 'MENT' - The title comes from the large print word from the right hand side of the piece. This was an attempt to experiment with using text only some of which reads: 'The background Mike explained: We k's face to bring out airly dark in the final ground and his clot rwise the effect will e background he need to use". Meaningless words? More of the text that was used was from Photographic magazines and so you get "You press the button" is this random? How random is random. For those in the know 'William Burroughs' Americian author used a writting style called the "cut-up technique". Here is a quote from the use of the style:
'...All writing is in fact cut-ups. A collage of words read heard overheard. What else? Use of scissors renders the process explicit and subject to extension and variation. Clear classical prose can be composed entirely of rearranged cut-ups. Cutting and rearranging a page of written words introduces a new dimension into writing enabling the writer to turn images in cinematic variation. Images shift sense under the scissors smell images to sound sight to sound sound to kinesthetic. This is where Rimbaud was going with his color of vowels. And his "systematic derangement of the senses." ...'

4. '83' - A collection of random images, a smiley girl's face and two parts of the top of men's heads. What were you doing in 1983?

5. 'Bringing Out' - Can you see the beauty in everyday life, from signs of the future to the edge of the world in the top right hand corner. Symbols are all around us to see, but do we really see them? The green world will decay brown over time like the leaf on the plate. All images become blurred.

6. 'November' - A small piece using modern postage techniques. I like the phrase '..make a mistake'. It is an invite for us to make a positive mistake in life or in art? Is life art? I like to think that you can not make a mistake in art as all mistakes are part of life and therefore are art.

7. 'Creating better Edges' - In this black and white piece, there is a picture from Brighton at the bottom see if you can spot it. Upside down windmills ala 'Jack and Jill' and railway tracks as Brighton has many stations. The face of the girl is from a hairdressing magazine and she looks like the actress Jan Francis, better known as 'Penny' from the BBC Romcom 'Just Good Friends': Here is a picture of her, see what you think?

8. 'Primos' - This title is taken from the name of a cafe, but I was unable to find it on the internet. Local food for local people, I guess, would there be many Greasy spoons on the internet? Primos means from the Spanish 'Cousins' so I guess this place is run by a family. At least you know that you can get 'Tizer' there!
Tizer was first launched in 1926 by Fred Pickup of Manchester.

9. 'Pianogirl Skyline. Images from the early 80's make up most of this picture and I am using the same style as 'Treasure Map Skyline' for which I know I have one fan of my skylines! The face has been cut in half to show the two sides to a personality but also the use of the left and right hand side of the brain when playing the piano.

10. 'Sail away pretty dreams' - This is my favourite piece in this style and series. The large sail in the middle of the picture is use to represent the fact that in your mind you can sail away with your dreams. Lots of images in this picture come from a decorating magazine and their use is show the different ways of seeing colour in your memories and dreams. I have also used parts of other paintings by artists to show that Art can be used in the same way as modern Pop music to re-recreate a new fresher piece. One day someone will cut-up my art and make it into something new, I hope!

11. 'Windmill Face' - This piece started off life as a copy of the B&W picture "Creating better edges' but with the finding of 'found images' in my art I turned it into a face. I am not sure if I was trying to be too cleaver or not.

12. 'Align = "Left"' - The final piece in this series and it closes a chapter. Made from scraps left over from previous pieces and contains a central image of a girl in the shower with goggles on. Modern computer art crashes head on with the antique world of painted art and styles. Hear endth the verse and chapter.

I am please with this selection of March work and I will be returning to the previous world of the mosaic in the very near future. I hope that you have enjoyed this change in style, it is not gone but not forgotten....

2007-05-24T19:31:00.001+01:00

More collage and Paper Sculptures from the early part of 2007. This time continuing the themes as before.

1. Publicity Shot - A use of vivid colours and circles make this a complete picture and with lots of words to set it off.

2. 'I have met on this' - Using the theme of torn scraps of paper I have created a piece that is almost the same as Publicity Shot.

3. 'Drumclog 1679 Girl' - A slight return to a former style but this time using as much of the map as background as possible.

4. 'October' - Another piece using older distressed piece of 'found papers' that were used in other works previous.

5. 'Magis' - From the random world of words you get the word 'Magis'. This was taken from the name Pascal Magis an artist and here is an example of his work:
as you can see this is a painted version of the sort of style that I sometimes construct with paper.

6. Geneve - This is a place in Switzerland and has several different spelling according to which language you speak. This is of course the french spelling and it comes from a maker of watches. If you look at their website you will see that they are not cheap! I like the pattern that ended up at the bottom of the picture.

7. 'Allsorts' - Another case of using all sorts of images and returns to the rectangle shape of design and uses pieces of 'found images from former pieces.

8. 'Postage Paid' - A piece that has wallpaper as its background instead of the plain white card. A model stares blankly out from a range of golden and yellow images.

9. 'Deco Arrangement' - This is another cubist piece as explained in previous journal entries. Two girls and a stamp.

10. 'Clockface' - A naked man (my first using such image) with his face replaced by a clock. This time piece is ornate and it is a metaphor for the passage of time when man becomes older. It is also meant to be as surreal as possible.

11. 'LOOK' - Another shaped 'Sculptured' piece using a lot of images of old magazines and bits and pieces.

2007-05-24T19:30:00.000+01:00

More for you to feast your eyes on! Following on from my last journal entry I said that I was moving on from 'filling the space'. This time I have pasted images to make the piece on card and then I cut out the shape to mount it on board. This has given me some freedom that I have enjoyed and I have decided to call these pieces 'Paper Sculptures'. They are a progress on from the mainly spaced filled pieces of the past. Also there is another chance to escape from the mosaic patterning that has dominated a lot of previous works. I will be using this style for a while, but I have not left behind the former styles of my work. Even painted pieces could make a comeback!

1. Tide - This is a collection of images that reflect the last 50 years of commerce. I am a great fan of the Cream LP cover art and it was great to use it.

2. 37A - This is a collection of images from London and the title comes from the bus title a 37A to Peckham. I was reminded by a story that my Grandma told me of her journeys in London when there were only open tops to buses and when it rained the downstairs was always full of men and so sitting upstairs was the only the answer and it meant getting very wet!

3. London 65 - This is the first time that I have used rubbish out of the rubbish bin to complement the piece. This time an envolpe and a chocolate wrapper. In case you are wondering the screaming mouth belongs to 80's artist and actress, Grace Jones, famous for thumping Russell Harty.

4. Raygun 31 - Advertising, magazine covers, bar codes, use by dates. Raygun was a popular magazine in the USA in the 90's and is now defunkt. Here is another example of the graphics that made it popular and interesting.

5. Congizable - The title comes from a cut-up of Recognizable. I like the random way of the words get cut-up and can be used as titles. Chewing gumwrappers, coke ads, Typography, more of that chocolate wrapper and some images of faces, one laughing.

6. Conversion - Peacock feathers, refrigator ads from the 50's, random text. It is a mix match of modern and 70's images.

7. OM-1 - Olympus the leaders in SLR cameras come out with the OM-1: 'Drawing down close to three decades of its existence has proven its ability with the demanding time test and the battering by professional photographers in the fields. Being the part of the nucleus of the total Olympus OM System, the OM-1 enables you to step into many new possibilities with ease and fun too, from photomicrography to astrophotography, from photojournalism to portraiture. With its many system components, the OM-1 permits an infinite range of photographic capabilities ... a camera that grows as your expand'.
This picture comes close to showing some interesting techniques to do with infra-red and colour cross processing, something that I guess is so easy with a digital camera and computer programme these days.

8. Gerator - This was an attempt at a slim but long piece that reflected the sort of images that go with skyscrapers. More use of envolpes and images from the 70's. A piece from the history of the statue of liberty. The title comes from Regerator and influenced by Ben Nicholson (more below).

9. New Sleeping Palace - The title is a reference to train sleeping cars of the US. A luxury car for the rich and white of the 1800's. The lucky stars are from 'Euromillions' in which we got two lucky stars but no other numbers. So near, so far! Part of the circles are from the work of Ben Nicholson part of the Cornish artists. Here is an another example of his work:
Another influence on my art, he died in 1982.

Did you spot Enoch Powell? No influence on my work but most remembered for his 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Controversial throughout his career, his tenure insenior office was brief. He held controversial views on issues such as race, national identity, immigration, and the UK's entry into the European Economic Community. I am more in favour of a Multicultural society myself. no dream, a future in the making. The Beatles wanted to put Hitler on the cover of Sgt. Pepper, but were talked out of it!
More art to come in this style and more backlogs soon!

Babe Radio

2007-05-24T19:29:00.002+01:00

Fill the space has been motto for sometime and I feel that with these larger pieces constructed this month I am doing just that. The idea behind most of the pictures is to show that art can be made from recycling paper. In this case I have used old magazines, books and other throw away items. I think in this day and age it is better to show that we can use as much of our waste items as possible! Also the muse, Kurt, has helped out.

1. Edge77 - This piece was using a lot of yellows and browns from envolpes, the title comes from the door number and the map. I was hoping to make this piece as busy and interesting as possible and I think that I have done that.

2. Gold & Silver - This is another fast piece and uses a lot of pictures of cameras if you look closely. I like the use of the half circle which has followed me about in a lot of my works and the fact that a lot of reds/browns have been used.

3. Wreckin - A piece in which I have tried to be cleaver in some respects as I have used pictures of enlarged stamps and therefore given the impression of a smaller piece it is infact the same size as 'Gold & Silver'.

4. Borrowed View - Crumpled waste pictures have been used to give this some age, and I am pleased with the result. Another work in this collection has a crumpled piece in it, can you spot it?

5. F - See how some of the works have a straight line in them. This is straight out of the book of schwitters collage and it is the formular that works!

6. An Airman admires Don Quixote - This was an attempt at an all black and white version of the style that I am using at the moment. It is a piece that will be tried again and again.

7. Watch the Face - This is a play on words and it refers to the watch in the centre of the piece and the torn face below. Upside down building, half a face, roses and test pages all make up the finished piece.

8. Urban Jungle - A busy lifestyle. A Saturday market, a girl with yellow background, oil in rain puddle, it is a jungle and it is very urban and busy. Get with the flow.

9. Babe Radio - This piece uses it title from a painting by Peter Blake (designer of the Sgt. Pepper LP cover) called Babe Rainbow. It probably isn't pc to say 'babe' at this time but I don't care! Art for the Artists!
He is one of my influences and has designed LP covers for Paul Weller and is currently on the cover of the Greatest hits by Oasis.

10. Secessio - A work using music as its background and some of the works by Impressionist etc. Secessio the title comes from Secission when the 'n' was chopped off.

11. Blue Music - This piece was an attempt to use only blue colours and therefore enter my blue period. Music and churches play a big part in my life and so it does in this picture.

12. Transform the austere space - A real planned out and directed piece. "It is clear that this austere space no longer meets the needs of our primary uses and users, which in turn constrains our capacity to expand our world-class programs and to capitalize on new and far-reaching opportunities" Director of James Reserve Research.

13. Artefacts - Different, yet all the same, same but different from the book of life, Laugh at Clowns, smile at beauty, Arabic writings, modern science, and crumpled outdoor fields of colour, its all there as artefacts of a time that crosses from 20th to 21st Century.
In the near future I am thinking about not filling all the space. I have an idea about using only some of the space to create a world where there is more freedom for the eye. Stay tuned!

World-Go-Round

2007-05-24T19:29:00.001+01:00

On the 5th of October I wrote an journal entry entitled 'The Correct Times', the following pieces are a continuation of that entry. All of the works in that section were inspired by Schwitters:
In this section I have encluded works that continue from the 'Correct Times' selection and the following pieces are more random than most of the other works that I have completed in this style.

1. 'Framework' - Is it St. Pauls? Most of life is under construction and this piece shows us the design that makes up the landscape of towns.

2. 'Versions of this' - There could have been many versions of this! This is taken from one text and two pictures.

3. 'Starts as two' - Drilled as pegholes it says. The random pattern is taken one step beyond.

4. 'Lansoprazole' - This belongs to the group of medicines known as proton pump inhibitors. Lansoprazole is used to treat certain conditions caused by too much acid being produced in the stomach, These include gastric ulcers (stomach ulcers), duodenal ulcers (ulcers of the upper part of the intestine), gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (acid reflux or heartburn), acid-related dyspepsia (acid indigestion) and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Lansoprazole can also be used to treat irritation and ulceration of the stomach caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Acid is produced naturally in the stomach to help digest food. Excessive amounts of acid can irritate the stomach lining, causing inflammation, ulcers and other conditions. lansoprazole works by reducing the amount of acid produced in the stomach, relieving pain and helping to repair the damage.

5. Basic Idea - The basic idea for this was the circle and it went round in circles from there.

6. Seasoned - Seasoned timber to make a house a home where you can read your newspapers.

7. Crossbones - There is a history of Skull and Crossbones which goes beyond the pirates of this picture. Cut throats all of them to a man!

8. High Force - High Force is situated on the Upper Teesdale Raby Estate, near Middleton-in-Teesdale. Raby Castle is situated nearly 20 miles further East at Staindrop. Its good to get names for pieces from maps.

9. Troutbeck - Troutbeck can be found between Windermere and Ambleside, just off the Kirkstone Pass. The village of Troutbeck is spread along a hillside which runs from Town End to Town Head. I have been to Ambleside and very pretty it is too! Troutbeck sounds like a good name for a pop group.A cross between Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and Beck also an American musician. Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart produced by Frank Zappa and nearly unlistenable to the untrained ears.

10. World-go-round - Upside down the world goes around and here. Who is the brave-maker?

11. Ribble Head - A place in the Yorkshire Dale, here it is in Black and White:
Ribble Head where no man can be saved.

12. Fashion Cafe - 'I wanna stay here, I don't wanna go anywhere, I could remain here' by Mark E. Smith of the group 'The Fall'. The dried out paintbrush says it all, where are the models, the girl thinks on that she wouldn't die?
More from this series will be forthcoming soon, stay tuned!

5 Painted Pieces

2007-05-24T19:28:00.001+01:00

I was given some acrylic paints this Christmas and I thought that I would turn my hand to painting pieces of abstract collage. Each piece is make up from scraps of paper and cut-up circles. Some other pieces of card were used in the constriction and they came from old cigarette packets. The designs were sketched out on plain paper and transfered to the boards. 2-5 pieces were painted on mount board and the first piece 'Alaska' is on hardboard. The colours were determined by the palette of colours that I had in the pack and some were used by mixing them with watercolour paint. Each piece took a couple of days to complete. There is a roughness to each piece that leads to their charm and earthy beauty. Each image contains two complete circles and therefore follows the theme of most of my collaged work. I hope to one day complete some 'constructed' pieces made from work, metal and fabric, but at this time I am very pleased with my experiemental work using paints.

'Improvised in February'

2007-05-24T19:27:00.001+01:00

This batch of exciting pieces all nod their heads to my muse, Kurt Schwitters. I have decided to mount all the paperworks on mount board to give them a slight depth. All the pieces are using ramdom scraps of paper to create the finished piece. Sometimes the scraps are picked because they give some harmony to the picture and others are just scraps left over from other previous pieces. The more inspired I am by Schwitters the more I want to produce pieces in his style. This month I was inspired by a link from the collage links on my home page by Launa D Romoff, take a look if you have the time at her website also inspired by Schwitters. My only complaint about her fantastic art is that she calls them all 'Untitled', but other than that it is a lovely website full of brilliant pieces. http://www.launa-d-romoff.com/

1. 'Aphic' - Title taken from National GeogrAphic. All random pieces left over from previous works and incorporated into the scramble of collage.

2. 'Circa' - Simple piece with a lot of browns to keep the pattern.

3. 'Imore' - Half a name, half a map, half a picture 100% finished piece.

4. 'Rain, Steam' - Title taken from the great painting by Turner called "Rain, Steam & Speed" which is housed in the National Gallery of London. When I first saw it I knew it was way ahead of its time in being abstraction at its best.
Turner's picture can be associated with the 'railway mania' which swept across England in the 1840s. It is also an outstanding example of his late style of painting. Sky and river landscape are dissolved in a haze of freely applied oil paint, to give a striking impression of the contrasting movement of driving rain and speeding train.

5. 'Rapsodic' - Before you all rush to your spell checkers this is the Spanish spelling. Music life and the half face.

6. 'Espagnole' - The Spanish for Spanish, I believe! This is one of my favourite recent pieces and I love the dark browns and the slant of the piece collaged.

7. '70' - Its all red, fabrics, wallpaper, coloured papers all give that feeling of darkness of night with a red sunset.

8. 'GO' - All the fun of the fair. Music, lights, alfresco and a girl alone.

9. 'Fare' - Also fun at the fair! Blurred movement, captured spinning lights. Fairground attractions, its got to be perfected.

10. 'Engraving' - As the cut-up words say "In this engraving court. The loss of his reign, it was a bsburgh family" Neon plays its part in the castle. Another favourite of mine for the juxataposition of the cut-ups.

11. 'UX' - Its the first time that I have got well away from the circles and gone onto triangles. This was an attempt at the style that was devolped at the turn of the 20th Century called cubism, Wallpaper, sheet music and newspaper all used in the construction of the finished piece. Picasso was credited with the creation of the collaged style and I admire this period in his work life. I have used wallpaper, newspaper and images of guitars all inspired by Picasso and Georges Braque. An example of the works of Braque can be seen here:
Glass, Carafe and Newspaper

12. 'Improvised' - For those of you that have been following the development of my style of collage over the last two years will know that this pieces is very like the early style that I devolped in April 2005. Why I returned to this style nearly two years on is beyond me but I know that it is one of the many styles that I will retain for further use in other pieces.
There is so much that you can do with a blank piece of paper and some scraps of torn images that I know I have a long way to go before I will be stuck for ideas.

Electric Planets and More...

2007-05-24T19:26:00.001+01:00

This is the second of my 'backlogs' from 2006 and there is a lot left still!

'Himba Woman' - For Sale - £40

This piece was inspired by the smile of the Himba Woman. The Himba live in Northern Namibia. They predominantly breed cattle and goats and lead a nomadic life. Clothes, hairstyle and jewelry are all of particular significance to the Himba. They traditionally cover their bodies from head to foot with butterfat tinted with ochre to protect their skin from the severe sun and desert climate.

'3 Men in Hats' - For Sale - £40

A friend of mine from school once wrote to me in a letter to say that there are people that wear hats and those that don't. In this piece they are!

'Mistress' - For Sale - £40

A stereotypical image of the mistress.

Nightie Night' -For Sale - £45

A hand coloured image and a background to complement it.

'Girl with long hair' - For Sale - £45

I loved the way that the image was shot and that you cant see too much of her neck. It is one of my favourites from 2006.

Glitter Jacket Girl' - For Sale - £50

1980's? 1970's? Smile! beauty is there for all to see

'Greenfaced Girl' - For Sale - £45

The image was shot with a green filter and she looks alien in a human way. Which is how some science fiction writers see aliens.

'Lucrezzia' - For Sale - £45

The image is taken from "Portrait of a Woman by Bartolomeo Veneziano traditionally assumed to be Lucrezia Borgia. 'Lucrezia Borgia' is the name that Buffalo Bill gave to his gun!

'Raspberry Beret' -For Sale - £45

The title is taken from a Prince song of the same name. Does this girl look like Kylie?

'Eliza' - For Sale - £50

Elize Du Toit (born September 5, 1981) is a British actress who was born in South Africa.She was educated at the prestigious Wellington College as a 6th form member of the Apsley Girls' House for two years. Whilst studying for a history degree at Edinburgh University she took part in the Hollyoaks "On the Pull" auditions, and subsequently beat 10,000 other hopefuls for a part in the show. She was cast as the character Izzy Cornwell (later to become Izzy Davis) - an upper class, attractive blond who studied at the local college.After leaving Hollyoaks in 2004 to pursue her film career, she was cast in several new roles. These include: a part in the UPN pilot for a new drama series called Triangle, alongside Ivan Sergei; A film role with ex-Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards and Holly Davidson entitled Flirting with Flamenco; A guest role in the BBC drama series Dalziel and Pascoe; The role of Sophie Tipper in the BBC adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty.

'Electric Planets' - For Sale - £45

The pattern gives the feeling I hope of some movement whilst the blue background is deep space.

'Ten past Ten' - For Sale - £45

Another with a watch/time theme and a follow-up to the above 'Electric Planets'.

'Spectral Circles' - For Sale - £45

The 'S' is a s for Sharman and another follow-on from 'Ten past Ten' It may become my logo.

DayTrip to CubaVenice

2007-05-24T19:25:00.001+01:00

This blog showcases the first of many backlogs of my work from last year! There are about 60 pieces outstanding and due to terrible weather it has not been possible for me to photograph them. With a more postive attitude I am hoping to start a new blog with an idea of getting somewhere in the arts market.

'Secrets of the Earth's Age' - For Sale - £25
A collage that is very random with very little thought being given to the over all selection.

'Ingredients' - For Sale - £25

All the right ingredients to make a 'Schwitters' type collage

'Masked Artist' - For Sale - £35

First on the theme of Venice. This artist was on a gondolier and they are known for their masked balls

'Bowtie Nude' - For Sale - £35

The nude image was photographed through a convex mirror to achieve that really thin look. It is a reflection of modern catwalk models being so skinny.

'Arab North' - For Sale - £35

This piece takes its title from the map reference on the page from which the background came from.

'CubaVenice' - For Sale - £35

Keeping the theme of 'Arab North' this piece has images from both Cuba and Venice in it to make another fantasyland.

'Kate Bush' - Christmas Present

Based on my piece 'King of the Rumbling Spires' about Marc Bolan. This was a Christmas present for a fan.

'Train out of the Station' - Christmas Present

This is a piece for a railway engine fan for Christmas. The train is french but no telling!

'Herdsman & Hero' - For Sale - £35

This is an ancestor of Genghis Khan who won medals in the second world war.

'Basilica' - Birthday Present

An abstract using the idea of circle and line interaction to divide the piece into sections and create a new life within that section.

Golden Red & others from 2006

2007-05-24T19:24:00.002+01:00

This selection of work comes from the final 5 months of 2006. Newer and larger work will be shown in the coming weeks.

'New Jersey 63' - For Sale - £30

This piece comes from the series of works from July/Aug of 2006 that were inspired to use more scraps of paper as in the style of 'The Saint Lawrence' that was a tribute to the late Syd Barrett. I am not sure if I will be using this style again in 2007 but I enjoyed it at the time.

'Champagne & Chips' - For Sale - £35

I believe that this picture was taken on The Palace Pier and it shows the difference in classes. The Mosaic patterning was created to be rough and bright, as if some celebration was in progress.

'Head Scarf Girl' - For Sale - £35

One of the first pictures I tried my hand at in April 2005 was a piece which has now been sold called "Egypt/Israel". This head scraf girl was an attempt to re-create that piece and I am very pleased with the mosaic patterning that this piece produced as other pieces have a theme to the colours but this one is out on a limb.

'Wheel' -For Sale - £20

Nothing in common, no message, except that the wheel is the major force in industry. This is the smallest piece that I did in 2006 and uses images from a piece about the Britain through the centuries.

'Woman and Time' - For Sale - £40

Beauty and the beast of time. Because I am beautiful I can be excused from being late. Get me to the church on time?

'The Rannock Cross' - For Sale - £30

This piece is about promoting Jesus/God and is using images that tell of a journey such as the map, the sea, the bridge struts and the circle of life in the middle of the piece. Behind the cross in black and white is the inside of a church.

'Black Beret' -For Sale - £35

Another in my series of half faces which have not seen light of day in a while. I loved the strong features of the old man and his simple dress which included the beret.

'Golden Red' - For Sale - £30

All scraps of paper that have been used in other works and kept safe. This uses the smallest to tell a story and that story is up to your imagination. The Mosaic patterning returns to the top and edges to be in keeping with the piece and all told there is a message.

'Mushroom Rouge' -For Sale - £30

Another following the series of the previous piece that tells of Blue Skies and other deep reds of life. See if you can spot the mushroom being prepared for dinner?

31 Map Skyline

2007-05-24T19:24:00.001+01:00

This is examples of my work from November 2006. I am doing more collage now than paintings. I hope to return to painting in the new year all being well. 2007 will be a year when I planned to get out there more. I need to push myself. If anyone has any ideas to help me with this plan, please email as soon as possible. With thanks.

'Santa' - For Sale - £30

Christmas is a time for children and it is good to see that this santa has a sack full of toys (mainly wooden) for the kids. Most kids this Christmas will get a PS2 I bet!. I love the blues in this piece and it reflects the fact for some Christmas is not a happy time.

'Barcelona' -For Sale - £45

A cut-up Barcelona already to be explored. No Mosaic collage on this piece, just the use of a craft knife as my tool of exploration.

'Guitar' - For Sale - £40

Using two techniques to make this picture stand out. The Guitar is one of the most popular instruments of the 20th Century and continues to be. The acoustic of course is the instrument that will tell everyone if you can play it or not.

'31 Map Skyline' -For Sale - £35

Another in my skyline series, which started with 'treasure map skyline' and it is another that I will visit from time to time, as I feel that they are unique to me.

'Christ in a Busy World' - Private Collection

Religion will always play a part in my art and for that I make no apologises. This piece was constructed for a friend from Hove Methodist Church who has decided to be a lay pretcher and I know that he will need inspiration from time to time and I hope this collage will help him.

'Guardian Angel' -Private Collection

This piece I constructed for another friend of mine and it was to look after her in times of stress.

'Ploughman's Lunch' -For Sale - £35

An early 80's picture of a farm work taking a break and a play on words. I tried to make the circle as green and earth coloured as possible to reflect the fact that this man works with the soil.

'Red Dream' - For Sale - £40

A follow-on from the piece produced a few months back called 'Red World'. I am hoping that I will be able from time to time to construct pieces that are in the same style.

'Church Music2' -For Sale - £30

This also is another follow-up from Church Music one, which was used in a concert poster. I think it is important to show that music is a very important part of the church service.

'Tarot Girl' -For Sale - £45

Using images from the Barcelona series, I constructed this abstract to have a message. The Tarot is a strong signal to some, this one being I believe, Judgement. Sometime we are very harsh to judge others and make mistakes.

'Zodiac Girl' -For Sale - £45

This one sort of follows-on from Tarot Girl, without the nudity and being more to do with the colouring than the Zodiac symbolism that the picture reflects.

Carnation Brown

2007-05-24T19:23:00.001+01:00

Sorry that it has been a while since I posted any new art to this site. I have still been busy, but have not had time to post up new works. These pictures follow on from the previous entry and show an interest in the style of Schwitters, but have my signature on them.

'South' - For Sale - £35

Very Schwitters and a collage of colour that reflects the change in seasons in the south of england.

'Tuba Music' - For Sale - £35

Instrument of the orchestra and the music of classicial composers, complete this ode to the deeper bassy instrument.

'Red Symphony' - For Sale - £35

All the colours and shades of red in one picture, from rugs to faces. The collage reflects the deeper shades of the same colour.

'Peacock Blues' - For Sale - £35

Another collaged picture that shows the power of colour, this time its blue. Inspired by the peacock used in the finish piece, the collection of shades reflect a completely different mood to 'Red Symphony', infact a much colder feeling.

'Carnation Brown' - For Sale - £40

This time an attempt to use the darker browns and lighter colours that reflect the bottom have of the old photograph in the top right hand corner. More religious images creep in.

'Asante Sun Dancer' - For Sale - £40

All that glitters is not gold, but in this case it is gold and its a dance for the reflection of the sun and its shadows.

'12 Houses of Instanbul' - For Sale - £35

Got a call from Instanbul? This is juxtaposition of images that do not match and I like the way that the man is laughing.

'Icon' - For Sale - £35

This was an attempt to use the image of Christmas in a collage setting.

'Madonna and Child' - For Sale - £40

Old images from classic painters used to promote the joy that is the birth of Christ. Blue is the colour, winning is the game!

'Virgin and Child' -For Sale - £35

More worshiping the birth of Christ. More observers around the Virgin Mary, with Angels and Saints.

The Correct Times

2007-05-24T19:22:00.000+01:00

My interest in Collage started from an article in the colour supplements of the Sunday papers about a find on a London market stall of some collages by Kurt Schwitters. I researched the name, Schwitters and discovered this information

Kurt Schwitters
born June 20, 1887, Hannover, Ger.died Jan. 8, 1948, Little Langdale, Westmorland, Eng.
German Dada artist and poet, best known for his collages and relief constructions.
Soon after World War I Schwitters was attracted by the emerging Dada school, a nihilistic literary and artistic movement dedicated to the destruction of existing aesthetic values. Denied membership in the Berlin circle of Dadaists, he formed his own variant in Hannover. He began to create compositions assembled from various everyday objects (train tickets, wooden spools, newspaper, string, cigarettes, and postage stamps). Similarly, his poems were composites of newspaper headlines, advertising slogans, and other printed ephemera. He referred to all of his artistic activities as Merz, a nonsense word derived from the second syllable of the word Kommerz (German: “commerce”). His collages were called Merzbilden (“Merz pictures”). Later, he also referred to all of his daily activities and even to himself by that name.
About 1920 Schwitters conceived the idea of building a cathedral of everyday objects. He built this three-dimensional assemblage, called Merzbau (“Merz building”), into his house in Hannover and continued to add to it for 16 years until there was little room left in the house for anything else. Unfortunately, it was destroyed during World War II.
In 1937, when the German government declared Schwitters' art decadent, he moved to Norway, where he began a second Merzbau (destroyed by fire in 1951). With the German invasion of Norway in 1940, however, Schwitters was forced to escape to England. There, with the aid of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, he began work on the third Merzbau but died before completing it. Merzbau III is preserved at the University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.
It was his use of ‘found images’ that excited me and I have been using this idea through the twelve pieces that you can see here. I have used Schwitter’s style to convey a modern 21st Century approach to collage. I have been using a lot of map images and other found colourfull images to recycle them into interesting pieces of art. The construction that I have used is mainly using a craft knife to cut the pieces but I am trying to escape the straight edge and get out there with the abstraction of the shape of the image as well. (This will be displayed in later works).
I have found this to be an exciting time and I am using this smaller size to dictate the finished piece. It is also a chance to experiment with the finished piece and therefore produce a more abstract picture than I would have done using the 'mosaic'd' style of some previous works.

'Just One' - For Sale - £15

This was a piece that was all about modern text.

'Rasputin's Secret' - For Sale - £15

More about the shape of colour than an attempt to be too abstract.

'The Correct Times' - For Sale - £15

Shape and form make for a very interesting finish

'Coast' - For Sale - £15

Smaller Squares and more blues and text language.

'Geri' - For Sale - £15

Former Spice girl with 20th Century machinary

'Manufacturing' -For Sale - £15

Maps, Black & White, Colour interaction.

'Utterly Utter' - For Sale - £15

This feels like a more contained piece than the others, the darker boarder has helped and the use of a lot of autumn colours.

'Essendine' - For Sale - £15

A town in Rutland. The name of this piece is taken from the map. The use of big engines in this piece, is to rub against the country's smallest county.

'Source for Still Life' - For Sale - £15

Mosaic makes an appearance and the use of images that were infact a 'source for still life' the blackand white and browns dominate the piece to give it a sense of an oncoming storm.

'Drowning' - For Sale - £15

We are all drowning in some way. The use of grey, text and green, helps to frame the piece and give it, its sense of identity.

'Under Construction' -For Sale - £15

Is a real attempt to convey the spirit of Schwitters and to let go of the pleasureable to the scraps of words and images, mainly using Richard Hamilton's love of the white to control the piece.

'Engines' - For Sale - £15

Forward thrust on picture front, still its smaller squared pieces tell its tale of the manfacturing of modern 20th century engines.
There will be more in this series soon and they will explore more bounderies of abstraction than these.

Boulevard of Broken Rain

2007-05-24T19:21:00.000+01:00

This is another entry showcasing the vast change in the style of my art.

'Boulevard of Broken Rain' - For Sale - £50

This was an attempt to do a brighter piece that shows off the colours, when the rain has brightened the streets.

'Camera, Yellow' - For Sale - £45

The backing piece of the work comes from a photographic book and explains the title. The brightness of the yellow is here to refect the power of colour in a smaller context.

'Chocolate Box' - For Sale - £50

Another cleaver use of colour to convey a sense of uniform to the overall effect of the piece. This time its a chance to show the colours that are found in a box of chocolate.

'Celebration Street' - £65

A rougher piece that looks like wrapping paper and ribbons. The heaviness of the piece shows that the way the paint has been applied. It is s reflection of the colours of over painting, and the way that it portrays a sense of closeness. Painted on Collaged paper on hardboard.

Theme for a Tropical Village' - Present

Abstract theme on the sort of life that would be living in the Tropical Village with its symbols and colouring.

'Paris Hotel' -For Sale - £45

The backdrop of the piece is photographs that were taken at the turn of the century in Paris and the hotel sign has been left uncovered to express that.

'Greatest Show on Earth' - For Sale - £45

A random picture that shows the brightness of circus shows and the advertising of such shows.There are another backlog of pieces that will be uploaded in the next couple of weeks.

After the Rain

2007-05-24T19:20:00.000+01:00

This entry shows that I am working more on the style of painted collage and here are some examples where I have painted over collaged pieces to give a multi-layered effect.

'After the Rain' - For Sale - £50

This one was inspirated by the effect of what would happen if my work was left out in the rain. The background are examples of pictures taken with a 35mm camera.

'Christmas Nights' - For Sale - £50

This piece has been produced for an exhibition at Christmas in a local church. The colours are meant to be very Christmassy and represent snow and deep reds.

'Comfort Zone' - For Sale - £50

Described by my girlfriend, Kerry as looking like a comfort blanket. This was a chance to see what would happen if I got away from using the usual colours in my art and I am very pleased with the results.

'Fireworks' - For Sale - £40

Another camera book collaged piece about November 5th. The green is the same as used in 'Green Village Fantasy'

'Jazz City' - For Sale - £75

The largest piece so far, this time with black and white pictured that have been left mainly unpainted to show that the theme is about Jazz, cafes and musicians.

'Spanish Carnival' - For Sale - £45

Another attempt to keep things simple and the colouring was dictated by a hot day in Spain.

'Summer City' - For Sale - £50

Another large piece that reflects the city in the middle of August.

'Theme from Mexico' - For Sale - £40

This is inspired by Kandinsky and is an attempt to get away from the boxes of previous pieces.

Backlog of Work

2007-05-24T19:19:00.001+01:00

This is a selection of the backlog of my works that have not been placed on the journal before. This catalogues several months work, starting in March and finishing in July of this year. It proves that the last couple of months have not all been about changing my style and becoming a painter.

'Jam Nights' - For Sale - £25
This piece is all about 1930/40's Jazz era and uses a very early guitar to illustrate the vast improvements in the development of guitars over the centuries.

'Red Lips' - For Sale - £30
A model shot with a circle. I really like the reflections in her sunglasses.

'Girl in a Circle' - For Sale - £30
This is the first time that I have used a picture of a frame to frame the picture and I am very pleased with the results. The model was from a photographic magazine and I believe that she was very popular in the 70's

'Eye to Eye' - For Sale - £40
Another attempt at introducing humour into the frame. The expression on the man's face says it all and why not? If you came face to face with a floating fish would you not look that way?

'Ballet Beauty' - For Sale - £50
This pose was the way forward for this piece and the fact that she is sitting dead centre of the circle is great fun.

'Turban' - For Sale - £35
A classic Indian pose with a colourful turban, that makes this an exciting piece.

'Tin Whistle Blues' - For Sale - £35
I like the fact that this man's hands around the whistle look huge and it adds to the surrealism of the piece. Maps coming again!

'A Ticket to Beauty' - For Sale - £40
This is a chance to use illustrations as well as photographs and it is meant to depict the modern cost of using beauty in the fashion industry.

'Landfall' - For Sale - £40
Another piece that is completely surreal and the images are choosen because they go together well, but are all on completely different subjects.

'Hong Kong Greeting' - For Sale - £35
Surreal piece again, this time the use of stamps comes back and then we have two people greating each other and that is how we get the title.

'Eleventh Hour' - For Sale - £40
No idea about the title except that I believe that it was finished at 23.00 hrs GMT. I like the way that all the faces are not staring out at you and are looking away.

We're Not Here

2007-05-24T19:18:00.000+01:00

This is a showcase of some of the changes that I have made in my style of art, and in some cases they are paintings and not collages. I have been experimenting with paint and collage so as to change the style, because of this I decided to see what it would look like without the collage and I was impressed enough to continue.

'Half a Church' - For Sale - £50

This is a typical collage in my style and it is a Christian Church. I liked the colours in the mosaic'd section and the fact that the church is at a strange angle.

'Green Village Fantasy' - For Sale - £55

A piece that has torn pieces of textured paper under the paint to give it an edge over a straight forward painted picture. This has since been damaged and has lost about a third of its length.

'Girl in a Jacket' - For Sale - £65

This was an image from a woman's magazine and the mosaic has been placed to give it an icon feel. The jacket that the girl is wearing was the reason for choosing this image to make into the iconic picture.

'We're Not Here' - For Sale - £65

Another painted collage piece and the title comes from the image in the top right hand corner. I love the colouring and the abstraction of the images.

'Mexico Nightfall' - For Sale - £45

This is not a collage, it is a painting on board and the first in a series about cities, this time Mexico City.

'Crowded City' - For Sale - £45

Another painted piece, this time with paint and pencil. It is a representation of a busy overcrowded city with lots of activity.

'Eye' -For Sale - £60

The ever present watching eye, this time of a fashion model but an image of big brother is watching you from windows, buses, CCTV and more. This is a collage with painted over view.

'Street' -For Sale - £35

A smaller piece this time to reflect the street in a busy city. Another painting without collage.

'Domino's Car Park' -For Sale - £45

Dominos like a Car Park. So I used both titles in one.

'Life of City' - For Sale - £60

This is another painted piece in the busy cities project and this time shows in abstract form the business of a busy city.

'Jungle' - For Sale - £70

Another abstract piece about the crowded Jungle and in its abstract form the colours and brightness of the Jungle at midday.

The St. Lawrence

2007-05-24T19:17:00.002+01:00

This month so far has been a time of experimenting and exploring new areas with my art. I have been working very hard on returning to the style that I used over a year ago and some of the recent pieces reflect this.

'Arc of Beauty' - For Sale - £45

This is a clear return to the style of over a year ago with the 'floating' image and then the mosaic'd background. The light of the image reflects the background greens and browns.

'Adam and Eve Hotel' - For Sale - £40

A chance to use two styles at once in a larger piece and this time the hotel sign plays as much as an important place as the faces. Some of the collaged pieces are famous paintings by people such as Tuner and others.

'St. Mary at the Cross' - For Sale - £45

This is a painted piece that is made up of religious images, such as Mary Magdalene and the construction of a church in Russia.

'Tanzania' - Present

This is a long piece that shows the male and female members of a tribe from Tanzania, called Barabaig and is a piece for a friend.

'The St. Lawrence' - For Sale - £50

This is an abstract piece is a tribute to Syd Barrett, founder member of the group (see close-up detail), Pink Floyd. It uses a style that has been borrowed from Kurt Schwitters.

'Measure of Folly' - For Sale - £40

This is another abstract piece that borrows from Kurt Schwitters, as this is the a first in a series of pieces.

'4 Stories' - For Sale - £50

This is an attempt to tell four different stories within one piece and convey the same message about life.

2007-05-24T19:17:00.001+01:00

This is the most interesting change in my style ever, as I have decided to paint some of my newer pieces in a wash of colour and I have been very pleased with the results. It has encourage me to continue experiementing and producing pieces of interesting art. I will be showing more of the larger pieces that were produced at the beginning of June.

'Jesus of Modern Times' - For Sale - £99

This piece is the largest so far at A2 and shows the modern the attempt at the painted collage. This is the first attempt at showing Jesus in a modern day setting, a kind of second coming.

'Medal Map Man' - £35

This is a piece that uses an image from the Egyptian Army and the map is just abstractional.

'Airman' - For Sale - £45

This is continuing the theme of the armed forces their role within the security of our society. This piece was taken from a fighter pilot that has been involved in some recent action in Iran.

'Sally Army Lady' - For Sale - £55

Sally Army Lady is another large piece at A3 and using the colour blue to perfection. The Salvation Army bands were important in the promotion of Christianity from the 19th Century and are still going strong today.

'Rock Chick' - For Sale - £40

A chance to show a painted piece, that was inspired by the image of the girl as a rock chick. The faded face in the background is coated in a wash of colour to make her blend in with the rest of the collaged pieces.

'Madonna and Child' - For Sale - £40

Another religious piece that owes as much to the painters of the past than the recent images of the baby Jesus. The halos were asking for their colour to be shades of blue.

'Brushing' - For Sale - £40

Another piece of old master art that has a chocolate box appeal, its an attempt to recycle art into a modern piece.

'Pomegranetes in the city' - For Sale - £40

A pomegranete seller makes it big in a red city. The arch image bends over.

'Carnival Worship' - For Sale - £45

An attempt at using the washed images to be a major part of the overal picture. Using an old style with the new and coming up with a very interesting piece of art.

'Shearer' - For Sale - £45

I'd wanted to use this image for sometime and it was good to see that it was great once it had been painted

'Nude with Painting' - For Sale - £40

This piece was produced to show the difference in attiudes over the centre of the painted nude and the photographed nude. It makes for a great contrast instyle.

May Madness

2007-05-24T19:16:00.000+01:00

Production has been very smooth this month and 14 pieces have been produced. I am very excited about the way things are going and very pleased with the pieces.

'Twice the Image' - £40

This image is taken from the same picture of the girl but gives an impression of different girls which is a nice twist. The background is more alive than usual and was an experiement that has produced an interesting result.

'A to Z' - For Sale - £40

Following on the idea that I have been using of semi-circles, I combined the 'alive' background from the previous piece.

'Moche Man' - For Sale - £35

This is taken from a tribal image of a Moche Man and in his hands are a weapon used to kill the enemies that have been captured as a sacrifice to his Gods.

'Venessa' - For Sale - £35

This is the actress, Venessa Redgrave and its taken from the 60's. Not only a very good actress but also a campaigner for human rights.

'Kerry' - Not for Sale

This is an image of my girlfriend and its taken from a webcam picture. It is the first time that I have used lettering in my work and its one idea that I will continue with.

'Tarrington' - For Sale - £40

This is a split image that has been taken from certain women's magazine. The title of the piece comes from the map that runs down the centre.

'Jacket Map Girl (A) and (B)' - For Sale - £50

This is the first time that I have made two pictures that are meant to be shown side by side that is why the map meets in the middle. I am hoping that both pieces being framed together in one frame would produce an interesting result.

'Peckskill' - For Sale - £35

Another collage that is in the style of "Church Music". It uses part of a circle that was cut out for another picture.

'Arms Folded' - For Sale - £40

In this piece the background of manly black and white has been used to compliment the image and shows a man who is both friendly and guarded at the same time.

'Purple Scarf Man' - For Sale - £40

Another youthful image from the 80's and the brave use of the colour purple in both the circle and the two side strips.

'Men of Electricity' - For Sale - £40

Great chance to use another interesting image from Japan as two half circles to make a far more powerful piece than the other half circles. I know that I will continue with these half circles for sometime to come.

'Church Piano Girl' - For Sale £40

Abstract image of a girl combinded with a piano and a church ceiling produce a very pleasing piece that relies on the black and white to give it its strength.

'GuitarGirl' - For Sale - £40

More abstraction this time making what looks like a 'cludeo' character from a face, guitar and a drawing of a house. Lettering in the strips make the piece more framed than usual but this is the desired result.

Spiral Mystery & others

2007-05-24T19:15:00.000+01:00

With the Easter Exhibition and the Children's picture to work on there has been little time for me to produce a lot of pieces this month, but here are a few that I have been working on.

'Times Two' - Present

This is another picture in the time pieces collection, This time the small mosaic pieces of paper have been scrunched up first to produce a pleasing effect.

'Gentleman's Circle' - For Sale - £35

This follows the pattern of 'Times Two' and uses a picture of a well dressed gentleman to finish off the piece. The ruby red of the left side of the piece is from an envelope and incorporates the stamp as well.

'Springface Out' - For Sale - £40

This piece is still using the scrunched up paper technique of some recent pieces and the added picture of a girls face was to give it a surreal impression. I like all the different colours and effects, because of that a series in this vein will appear.

'Twofaced' - For Sale - £40

Another surreal picture of two girl's faces and the fact that they are almost of the same size. This did start out as an idea of having a man's face and a woman's but I was unable to find the right picture of a man's face. If you look through women's magazine then you will see that most of the pictures of men are in black and white. One of things that I really like about this piece is the angle of the head.

'Clockface Map' - For Sale - £40

Using the same idea as the two clock faces, this time I have used half a watch and a girl's face. I like the outer circle using the text and yet not being about to be read. It was an attempt to use the clockface as our one uncontrolable factor in our lifes.

'Circlesque' - For Sale £40

Another piece that uses only mosaic'd pieces and has not central theme, except the circle. I like the fact that all the pieces blend in, even though they came from different magazine pictures.

'Spiral Mystery' - £40

I have a fondness for spiral staircases and this is a natural extension of the clockfaces pieces. It is good that this also contains a map and that the shape of the staircases has been used to its full effect in black and white. There is a lot of scope to continue the themes that I have been playing with recently.

'Stairstar' - For Sale - £30

This piece is the most abstract that I have done in a while. It was to use the underside of a staircase to its best advantage. The star is the first of many that will appear in future works. I leave you to work out the other pieces that make up the picture and hope that it will intrigue you.

'Half a Face' - For Sale - £35

This is something that I have wanted to do for sometime, and that is to have half the face covered in my paper mosaic patterning. It looks interesting and I am very pleased with the end result.

'Tommy Cooper'- Birthday Present

This piece is for my friend Ed's 46th Birthday as he is a Tommy Cooper fan. It is the first of many famous people that I hope to make into pictures.

7 Crosses Exhibition & Junior Youth Club Picture

2007-05-24T19:14:00.000+01:00

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Seven Crosses - Easter Exhibition - Hove Methodist Church
Easter, April 2006. I had decided a few months back that I was going to do an exhibition for Hove Methodist Church on the theme of Crosses. As you can see in Picture 1, they were displayed on notice boards and there was a brief explanation of each piece. I hoped that they would help people to think about the story of Easter and how it affects us in the 21st Century. Picture 3 gives a better explanation of what the Exhibition is all about. I have received many praises from members of the church and I am pleased that it has been received well.
Hove Methodist Church Junior Youth Club Easter Picture "Christ has risen"
I was asked by the leaders of the Junior Youth Club to come along and stage a workshop with the children aged between 4 and 10. I was originally going to do several smaller pictures with them, but it was suggested that as it was nearing Easter, it would be good for them to start thinking about the Easter Story and so the seeds of this idea were sown. The finished piece took two Youth Club sessions and one with the Sunday Club. Then it was down to me to do the black edging to make the piece look more like stained glass. I am very proud of the children that helped me and it was a great experience for me. One which I would love to repeat someday. On Easter Sunday this piece with take proud of place in the children's area of Hove Methodist Church.

allegro

2007-05-24T19:13:00.000+01:00

March marches on and a new batch of piccies arrive. I have slowed down this time and so there will be more added soon as they are finished.

'Red Rhapsody' - For Sale - £30

A medition on the colour red. This is in the same vain as 'Church Music' and more will follow. Its good that the map mosaic is still with us.

'allegro' - For Sale - £35

This piece is using spare parts from previous pictures and is straight out of the 'Kurt Schwitters' school of collage in its most traditional form. The unfranked stamp was from a Christmas Card envolpe and the fact that the stars and stripes are upside down what does that mean? The map makes another appearance but it is not mosaic'd, interesting!

'MP' - For Sale - £40

Another twist on the theme of the mosaic'd map. The effect was meant to be a lighthouse beam coming out of the circle behind the girl. Cleaver?

'Bluey-Green' - For Sale - £30

For sometime now I was wondering if I took several different pictures and mosiac/collaged them together would I get an effect that I liked? This works but I feel that maybe it doesn't have a central focus, but it is something to work on!

'Quattro' - For Sale - £35

This continues the theme that has been running through recent works. I am sure that there is more to come in this style.

'Skygirl' - For Sale - £35

This picture continues the use of half a person, this time with more of the body showing than usual.

'Mallow' -For Sale - £35

Another picture which is more in the vein of Kurt Schwitters. The picture of the lady is Queen Victoria and the word 'plain' is from my favourite muffins from the Co-Op.

'Circle Cross' - For Sale - £35

This is the 6th in my circle series that will be displayed at Hove Methodist Church during Holy Week.

'Celtic Cross' - For Sale - £35

7th Cross in the Exhibition series. The Celtic Cross is the oldest of the Christian cross symbols and came out of a pagan symbol for worshiping the sun.

'Imitation of Christ' - SOLD

With Holy week on our heals, this was a picture that summed up the worship of Christ crucified to me. This was a girl in Spain which is very Catholic.

'Time Waits' - SOLD

This is a piece that is following on the idea from 'Half Time' and uses a newish technique in as much that the paper has been creased before being torn into the usual squares to make up the mosaic.

Emperor Roulette

2007-05-24T19:12:00.000+01:00

Picasso had his 'blue period' I am entering into my 'Map Period' all pictures since the middle of Feb have contained mosaics of maps and continue to do so.

'Map Circle' - For Sale - £50

Strong colours and a mapped out circle compete to make this a simple but effective picture.

'Off Centre Map' -For Sale - £35

This the first time that one circle on its own has not been in the centre of the picture. Two-tone background and another map circle.

'Stripes & Candles' - For Sale - £35

This is another picture using the style of 'Treasure Map Skyline'. The pictures were chosen at random and have a kind of empathy to their colouring which clearly makes this a stunning piece.

'Three Map Circle' - For Sale - £40

First in a while to be bigger than the scanner. This is based on a previous circle picture that hangs in my lounge and has not been shown on this site. Two different maps make up the background and circles.

'Twenty-Six' - For Sale - £35

A collage that uses all of my technigues from half faces to half circles, stamps and the map background. This was an attempt to showcase all the styles that I have employed in the last couple of months into one dramatic picture.

'Thirty' - For Sale - £35

This is a follow-on from 'Twenty-Six', it is almost to a formula and its still using the mapped background.

'Green Guitar' - For Sale - £30

This is the first of two Brazilian pictures. Being very fond of different types of contempary music it is good to see someone playing a guitar in one of the poorest areas of Brazil. Also because of the size of the guitar it was not possible to place the player in the middle of the picture and I like that!

'Brazilian Family with Map' - For Sale - £40

This is the second of two Brazilian pictures and shows a typicially poor family in one of the ghetto areas. Their clothes are very dirty, but yet there is still a sense of family about the pose.

'Hopewell Junction' - Not For Sale

This piece is deeply personal, it contains references to my life and I consider it to be a life map of sorts. The title comes from the top of the map section of the piece and Hopewell Junction is just above New York. Maybe I will get to go there one day. I have used scraps from previous pictures, medicine packaging, cover of magazines that I use a lot and a stamp. I will every now and again do another piece like this to see where my life is heading.

'Half Time' - For Sale - £50

Based on the idea of the 'Russian Egg with 1954 Stamp' picture. It shows how much we are controlled by time. If you look very closely the clock face is upside down, so what does that tell you?

'Yellow Map Music (Detail)' - For Sale - £45

This was an idea that started out as two smaller pictures but the idea grew into this shape. The sides are alittle bigger than the scan shows and there is an attempt to bring sympathic colours together. Also the Map appears yet again!

'Emperor Roulette' - For Sale - £30

This is an attempt to produce a piece using a circle, in this case a roulette wheel. The Emperor is slanted to one side as if being affected by the movement of the wheel. The background used this time was a painting of butterflies. 'Emperor Roulette' sounds like a good name for a popular band, I wonder if anyone will ever use it? If not I'd better!

'Bombay Mining Boy' - Present

This picture was constructed for two of my closest friends and I was proud that they said they would find a suitable place for it to hang. It goes back to a time before the maps came on board. It shows that young boys are still being used in adult jobs in certain areas of the world.

'Grip of Friendship' - For Sale - £40

This is a picture that shows a man gripping the woman's arm, rather than holding her hand. I wonder why that is, maybe she is not as keen on him as he is on her, that's life!

Church Music in March

2007-05-24T19:11:00.000+01:00

A new month and a new batch of works. These following works have more to do with the traditional style of Collage, although I am always experimenting. Most of the pictures used are from music magazines. I have tried to keep my signature style of paper mosaic in most of these pieces.

'Church Music' - For Sale - £30

My interest in Church music stems from the fact that I am an active Christian and attended Hove Methodist Church regularly. This piece is made up of sections from a magazine about composers.

'Goodsland' - £30

The title comes from the map that makes up some of the top section of this piece, it is also in keeping with the style of 'Church Music'. The face that you can see is of Brahms.

'Roche's Music' -For Sale - £30

This is the third piece in the same style and it is also named after the map section of the picture. I have a friend called Mike Roche and he is very into writing his own music, so it was nice to see that name spring out from the collaged map.

'ATLAN' -For Sale - £30

A complete nod to Kurt Schwitters and no apology for that. I have been experimenting without the paper mosaic collage effect and come up with this piece, also named after the large section of the map, also in keeping with the style of the previous pieces.

'Stables' - For Sale - £10

Another nod to Schwitters. This time using the same music magazine pieces and map sections. This piece is only mounted on grey 120gms card, hence the cheap(ish) price.

'Carmen' - For Sale - £40

The central piece is taken from a Victorian poster advertising the opera, 'Carmen'. I have used the same map colouring as in previous pieces to be in keeping. It is amazing that the background red comes from a plant grown underwater and that it is so alive and vibrant, considering the lack of light!

'Stars and Torn Stripes' -For Sale - £40

This picture is made up of two of the same images of an American flag seen on the beaches of France on D-day. The map is not of France, but was used as there was alot of water as there would have been on the beaches the day that the Americans landed on the sand to liberate Europe.

'Flag Map' - For Sale - £35

This is an attempt to continue the use of the Stars and Stripes as in the above picture. The map is part of America and it is a continue of the use of flags that were used in the second world war.

'Snakes' - For Sale - £30

This taken from an image on the Sistene Chapel roof painted by Michael Angelo. The idea behind this picture was a reflection on my state of life, but I realised that it clearly was not the case.

'Circle Baby' - For Sale - £30

The image of the baby was taken when the baby was on its Mother's shoulder and was looking at the photographer. I thought it would be nice to have the baby look like it was coming out of the mosaic patterning.

Bible Cross in a Red World

2007-05-24T19:10:00.002+01:00

'Cross and Circle' - For Sale - £25
With Easter coming shortly, I thought that it would be good to have a display of my artform as different types of Crosses, to make people think about the true meaning of what Good Friday and Easter Sunday mean. 'Cross and Circle' is an attempt to show that even the Cross cannot be camouflaged.

'Brown Cross' -For Sale - £35

This cross was constructed from the brown envelopes that drop through the letter box. There were three shades of brown in the type of envelopes that I have recieved recently - Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I love the shade of green that makes up the background.
'Bible Cross' - This Cross is made up from chapters of the new testament. They were all chosen at random as is my style. The words and sentences that can be seen are: 'Sin and blasphemy', 'JESUS', 'God', 'This is my beloved Son', 'The temptation of Jesus' and 'generation of vipers'. All of which is very interesting.

'Empire' -For Sale - £30

This is another abstract in the style of 'Treasure Map Skyline'. Random images chosen for their style and strength to compliment the finished piece.

'Comet Skull' - For Sale - £30

This could have been called 'Tower Statue. Comet Skull' in reference to all the images that were chosen in the final work. The Statue is very stricking and therefore took centre place. An early image of a comet flying past the Earth and a skeleton represent, life and death. Tower of Babel, anyone?

'Drummer Boy' - For Sale - £45

A return to my style, without being abstract. First in a series of this length of work, along with 'Comet Skull'. I like the pattern on the little boy's drum. The background is darker than usual but the circle gives the radiance of light to the boy's red top.

'Emerald Cross' - Present

Another Cross, this time as an early Easter Present. I love the emerald Green that makes up the cross. The background was made up from a picture about Red Indians, its great when one picture gets turned into something completely different!
'Unfinished Circle' - A simple but effective piece about two halfs of the same circle, contained within a rectangle.

'Flag Cowboy' - For Sale - £45

A stunning image of a face painted with the American 'stars and stripes' of their flag. The multicolouredness of the backing circle sets the picture off nicely.
'Red World' - This is an abstract based on the colour red. It is a reflection on the colourful map that is the world, and the people contained within it.

'Two halves of the same Miro' -For Sale - £35

This is another symmetrical piece based on the work of Miro. The orange halves are the two sides of a reflective summer sunset.

'Onward goes the Pilgrim' - For Sale - £45

Another attempt at a symmetrical piece, this time it represents the strangeness of man. Pilgrim meaning a stranger. The is a slight nod to cubism and all it needs is a guitar.

Dropped Out of Another World & Much More

2007-05-24T19:10:00.001+01:00

'Walk the Line' - For Sale - £30

'Walk the Line' is a biopic of a section of the life of Johnny Cash and in honour of the greatest Country and Western Singer of all time, I have produced this picture. 'Hurt' Johnny's last single before he died in 2003 was the most moving piece of music and video that I have ever had the pleasure to witness.

'Green Hat Girl' - For Sale - £35

What is interesting about this picture is the positioning of the hat on her head so that her eyes peep out from below the brim. I have also returned to the simple circle motif again.

'Sunglasses' -For Sale - £35

Returning to the same style of 'Green Hat Girl' this is the first image in black and white that I have not cut into two. The main image is taken from an advert for very expensive sunglasses.

'Dropped Out of Another World' - For Sale - £45

Most of the images are American and taken from the year 1958, which back then was like being in another world. Life may have less stressful then but it wasn't boring!

'Pregnant Tattoo' - Christmas Present 2006

This image that I came across was very inspiring. A pregnant lady getting a henna tattoo on her swollen belly! This was going to be called 'Stretched Canvas' but I thought that was too crass.

Father & Son' - For Sale - £35

Following on from the pregnant theme this time the interaction between a son, gripping tightly to his Father's leg and the expression on the Father's face.

'Kitten Corn Boy' -For Sale - £35

I love the way that the kitten is perched on the corn cobs and the fact that the boy is barefoot. It sums up a simple country scene without any trees or dirt.

'Tibetan Guru' -For Sale - £30

A lovely lost in thought expression. I have a fondness for hats and this one gripped my imagination.

'Crucifixion' - Not for Sale

First of a series of Religious pictures featuring the Christ crucified or the cross. Powerful image. The reason for all the hard to read words amongst the bible passages from Matthew, is a reflection on today's very busy life and how the more important words and symbols should stand out from the crowd.

'Cross of Red' -For Sale - £30

Another religious pictures the colouring of the two sides of the cross represent the life of Christ. One as son of God and the other as the crucified savour.

'Red Tracks' -For Sale - £25

Surrealism and Schwitters in one humble pie. This is simple beauty in the style of 'Treasure Map Skyline'.

'Lagerfeld Gold' -For Sale - £25

Karl Lagerfeld and a reflection on his life. The man in black suit returns from the fashion world with red and gold.

Golden Nude & 9 Others

2007-05-24T19:09:00.000+01:00

RainGirl -For Sale - £35

This is following on from the half a person images of recent previous works. There will be more in this series very shortly. It continues the use of black and white images.

After Miro - For Sale - £20

This piece was inspired by the abstract artist Joan Miro and some of the shapes that he employed in his work. It also goes to show that the different textures of the pictures use can sometime engulf the whole of the picture and this is best observed after several viewings.

Of Spirit For Sale - £20

This is the first piece that is directly inspired by Kurt Schwitters style of collage, although it does include my signature style all over it. All pieces selected for the final work was of course random, but how random is random?

Sad Songs - £20

This is the first of my pieces to include a random word poem about friendship and how to find it. Like myself I wear glasses and hats and I am musicial. The words were cut from a magazine and shaped into the tone poem.

Blood Widow - Birthday Present

The two sides of the same image has been used here, but gives the impression that it is two different people. The picture shows the blood reds of womanhood and the trial of their lives.

Helpmann - For Sale - £25

A black and White image of the Dancer and Actor Robert Helpmann (best known as playing 'The Child Catcher' in 'Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang) - 'I can do something with that face'- so Ninette de Valois famously said when she first saw Robert Helpmann. He had just arrived in London to join the Vic-Wells Ballet; he was 24, and in his native Australia he had already begun his career as an actor and dancer, including a tour with Pavlova's company as a student. With de Valois' support he became the company's leading male dancer, partnering Fonteyn as she grew to greatness in the classics, and choreographed a number of works in the 40s at least two of which earned a place in the repertoire. Most of all, he created unforgettable characters, both comic and dramatic, in many works by Ashton and de Valois. He had the priceless gift of being able to hold an audience, no matter what he was doing.

Treasure Map Skyline - SOLD

Another abstract this time using a pirate's treasure map as the background, all images were selected randomly. Three of the shapes werediscarded from a later piece.

Golden Nude For Sale - £50

Picked for the poseof the model and also for her skin colouring as it blends well with the background.

Half a Woman - For Sale - £25

Another chance to use coloured shapes with a black and white image. I love the way the hand is posed and the expression on the model's face. Sunlight rays capture the glow of beauty in colour.

Dancer with Horses - For Sale - £25

Another attempt at the style of 'Treasure Map Skyline', this time an attempt was made to make the picture look busy with the capture of the dancer and the movement of the horse riders, but also with the map that was choosen. Life is busy, go with it!

8 More pieces from Jan 06

2007-05-24T19:08:00.000+01:00

There is always a need to refine your style and to work on new approaches. I have taken some inspiration from the Music Posters of the 1960's. I am talking late 60's what was known as the 'Psychedelic phase'. There was a lot of use of images from the 1930's and victorian period used in the construction of those unique pieces of poster art. Art Nouveau/Art Deco had its influence as well. I have taken some of the geometric shapes from those pieces and applied them in my recent work. Also I am not relying on the central human image as much as I was and these first 4 pieces will show.

Ancient Symbol - For Sale - £20

This relic was dug up from the ground and cleaned up. The new symbolism of my work, represents the ground that it has laid in. Browns and dirt colours provide the atmosphere.

King of the Rumbling Spires - Marc Bolan a legend in glamrock history and a chance to expand on the 'fan shapes' developed in the previous work. The contrast in colours represent the fun element in Bolan's songs, 'King of the Rumbling Spires' being an example.

Russian Egg with French 1954 stamp -For Sale - £35

This was a chance to produce something that didn't rely on the human form. The white(ish) pieces of the fan shape come from a diagram about the channel tunnel construction. There is no connection between the stamp and the egg, its only for effect.

Russian Iconic Icon with Christmas 3d Stamp -For Sale - £30

The Russian Icon is taken from the collection that is housed at the Kremlin. I have added the Christian element by adding the Christmas Stamp. The circles within circles to create the fan effect has come to the full in this piece. This is the sort of direction that I would like my work to take over the next couple of months.

Maya Icon -For Sale - £25

Having been to Mexico a few years back, I have met people of the Maya Tribe and found that they have little or no neck. This interest in the Maya Tribe has continued with me and I therefore decide to make one of them into an icon. I did not take this picture, although I wish that I had.

Rubal Khali - For Sale - £35

This means vast dessert or empty quarter in Arabic. The map behind the boy's head makes up most of that area.

Sexy Senior Citizen - For Sale - £35

This picture shows that barbecues are the same the world over and its usually the dad's that are in control. In this picture the 'senior citizen' is cleaning up his barbecue after a busy day with the family.

Half Man/Half Circles - For Sale - £40

Black and white shows its face for the first time and will do from now on thanks to my collection of photograph books, there are a lot of black and white images that I can use. This one is from 1981 believe it or not. The circles are made up from the diagram about the channel tunnel again and a cartoon about the american civil war.

6 New Pieces from Dec 2005 - Jan 2006

2007-05-24T19:07:00.002+01:00

1. Painter Girl -For Sale - £30

This picture was taken from stock pictures in the 70's. I like the pose and the colouring and it is in my tradational style.

2. Sex'N'Rock'N'Roll - For Sale - £35

A multi-image piece that comes from Music magazines, Johnny Rotten, Geri, Frank Zappa and more.

3. Bombay Boat Builder - For Sale - £15
This is a picture of one of the many workers on the Bombay boat building sites and its a classic covered up face image.

4. Indian with 2 Stamps For Sale - £20
This picture is of a smiling asian Indian and I have started to use old postage stamps in my work. I reclaimed some of my boxes from storage recently and there was my childhood stamp album, it is also a nod to my collage muse, Kurt Schwitters.

5. Dorothy with 2d Stamp - Having gone through old photograph albums I came across this picture of my ex-wife and decided to make an Icon of her. The stamp represents the year that she was born, pre-decimal.

6. Model with Butterfly Stamp - For Sale - £15
This is a typical model pose and an attractive stamp of a butterfly.

My First Commission - A Life of Birthday Tunes

2007-05-24T19:07:00.001+01:00

A life of Birthday Tunes (Commission) - This is the first commission of my art. I am very proud of the end result and I am hoping that I will be commissioned to do more art pieces next year. The whole process from design to completion took over 10 hours. The final result was then sealed with PVA glue. I was so excited about the end result and this was transfered to the lovely lady who comissioned me. It has been a very interesting learning curve for me and has inspired me to take my art further! If you wish to commission me and turn around time is about three days or more, then send an email to daveasharman@aol.com

Joy of Swimming and Others

2007-05-24T19:06:00.001+01:00

This is a selection of pieces that cover several months and different styles.

Joy of Swimming - For Sale - £45

This piece is taking the circle idea to its natural conclusion, the circles are made up from the same page of the magazine and complement each other nicely. The young girl had just been swimming and it was an interesting angle on her head. This piece so far has been most people's favourite.

Gunrunner - For Sale - £15

In the orginal picture from which the image was taken the man was surrounded by guns hanging from walls and on the floor. Most terriors organisations are funded by drugs and that is the reason that I had very cleverly used a field of poppies as the major part of the background. I guess that you could say that I am making a political statement again.

Joy of Music - For Sale - £45

The image is taken from a student on the London Underground. What I liked about the picture was the expression on his face. This was the second in the larger circle series. The mosaic patterning on either side is to represent the stereo channels of most modern music.
Trio - This was just juxtaposing three different people. A sexy image with a terriorist and an old man.

Beauty Posed -For Sale - £45

This was a real attempt to make the mosaic patterning more exciting, with the image. The image was taken from a woman's magazine and was choosen because she is not smiling. It is the form of beauty on a beautiful background.
Brooklyn Docks Worker - This piece is in the style of the old fashioned 7" inch single and uses the circle again with the brightest blues that I have ever employed. The Brooklyn Dock Worker looked so dirty and unwashed that I thought it was a great image to use. This piece took only three hours to complete.

Senerade-For Sale - £50

Discribed recently as looking like something from Sgt. Pepper, that is because it is directly influenced by the creator of that LP cover, Peter Blake. It was also a chance to continue to use more than one image in my work and move on. No circles!

December 2005 Pictures

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This represents the output so far for the end of November and the beginning of December 2006.

All Seeing Eye - For Sale - £25

It is an attempt to breakout of the circles and produce a piece in which all the images are looking forward from the picture. The girl in the middle is not bald I just cut off her hair to make a more interesting statement.

Anne Stafford - This piece was produced as a leaving present and uses a picture that I took on a walkabout in Poets Corner. The whole piece was produced in record speed and had its problems. It was the first time that I had ever rubbed someone's face out, not once but twice. I was very pleased with the overall effect and it also returned to the use of the circle.

Decline of the Smile - For Sale - £35

For only the second time ever I have used more than one image. This was inspired by surfing the internet and finding images that were made up of multiple collaged pictures. The finished piece is slightly bigger than the scan but the scan loses nothing of interest. I like the irish farmer laughing juxtaposed with the girl's head with eyes closed.

Nativity, HMC Picture - This is a piece that I have produced to be displayed at Hove Methodist Church as a Thank you/Christmas Card for their support this year. The images are taken from a christmas card from last year and it is complimented with a simular background

Abstract Circles

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This section shows that I was moving more and more towards the abstract and away from a pictured centre of interest. Infact the circle began to take over!

Three Circles. Another attempt at abstraction and producing a piece that relied on the circles to hold the attention. I also knew that Janina Karpinska was a great fan of Circles.
Twelve Circles. This time another abstract that relies on the Circle to keep the interest. It was produced in the style of Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian Painter who was known for producing paintings containing circles.

Abstract Blue. For Sale £15

This started life as a free formed drawing and has been described as a 'nice design for a pato'. It is completely abstract and it was produced to see if I could escape from the circles and do something that was totally different. In the top left hand corner is a lighter patch that has become know as the sand under the pato slabs, it does hark back to the earlier 'Water Warrior' colours. This piece has shown that it is possible for me to take a marker pen and create a picture that is totally different within the realms of my mosaic style.

Birthday Card. This is an example of work that I have recently in September/November been producing that have solid circles within the construction of the picture. This adds another dimension to the overall finished product.

It is great that I have been able to share my talent with my friends and that they have been as excited about the results as I have. I am looking forward to showing you more of my art, when I am able to scan them. Some of the pieces that have not been featured is due to the fact that they are too big for an A4 scanner.

The Circles Cometh

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It was during an attempt to make the central figure framed within the picture, rather than the 'floating' image that appeared in my earlier works that I came across some artwork on the internet by Gee Vaucher who produced Record covers for bands such as CRASS and others in which the name of the group and the title of the record was stencilled into a circle on the cover. There I thought I have my answer and so the circle was introduced into my work. I purchased a compass and away I went.

Soft Notes. Paul Richards is a close friend of mine from Hove Methodist Church and I wanted to produce a piece of art for him and his family, as they had been very supportive of my art in the past. I know that Paul has a great musicial interest and when I came across this black blues singer I knew it would be the right image. I was also very impressed with the results produced by the background, this came about because instead of using several different pictures I used only one. This piece was one of the first in a series of pieces I have produced that are A5 in size.

Dad. Produced as a piece for my Dad's 65th Birthday. I used a photograph that was over 20 years old. Using this new style of incorporating a circle into the picture, I liked the way that my father was holding a microphone and pointing. The microphone was in fact a shower gel holder! It has been framed and now has proud of place in my parents lounge.

Korean Boy. For Sale £15

When thumbing through my source magazines I came across this picture of a Korean Boy out in the fields with his family during harvest. I was stuck by his expression and the colours on his hat. The circle this time was made up of scraps from a printed map also found in the same magazine. I like the way that the mosaic gets lighter and lighter, further down the the image your eye goes.

Silver Lady. For Sale £20

I came across this image and wonder if I could have the right leg coming out or looking like it was resting on the edge of the circle and it was designed that way. I think that it works and I am pleased with the sympathic colours outside the circle.

Funny Face. For Sale £15

This was an attempt to add an element of fun into the pictures. This picture came from a stock photograph book. The background once again has been taken from just one picture.

Girl with Diver & others

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Most of the pieces in this selection were produced to be given to people as either thank yous or Birthday Presents, it was also an attempt to try different styles.
Flowers Of Romance. This piece was only the second time where I had not used a person as the central image. It was also an attempt to see what it would turn out if I used only flowers. The Mosaic around the flowers was described as 'stories within stories' and I was very pleased with that discription. I had returned to the earlier style of using magazine pictures that were very busy.
Jenny. I had taken a series of photographs with my digital camera of Jenny Temme, my niece and when it came to her birthday in June, I made this small collage mounted on wood. It was interesting that someone pointed out the fact was there two pictures of Jenny because she was a Gemini. That thought had not even crossed my mind!
Girl with Diver. In a attempt to speed up the process of making the collages, some which can take over a week. I set myself a challange to produce a piece within the time of a film that was showing on TV. It shows in the finial work that it was rushed as the scraps that make up the mosaic were larger than they had ever been before. I like the use of the greens in this piece, which represent the sea, hence the diver. A friend of mine, Mike Roche said that this picture "does what it says on the tin".
Protest Singer. Little did I know but I was just about to turn a corner and this was one of the last pieces I produced using the style that I had been developing over the last 5 months. The picture is of a Spanish lady singing a protest song about Bullfighting, Which explains the reason for half the picture being very red.
Madonna and Child. This hopefully will be my Christmas Card design for 2005. I like the central image of Mary and Christ as I think that it is important to remember that Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. Red is a very warm Christmas colour and that dominates the background.
As I explained with Protest Singer, this was a turning point in the development of my collage style as I was about to go down another exciting avenue.

Afterlove and more

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After the Arts Trail and the Poets Corner Summer Festival, I was inspired to produced a piece at my Art Class, at the Vallance Community Centre, that was more deepily personal than any of the pieces that had so far been produced. AfterLove was a visual representation of the break-up of my marriage, earlier this year. That is the reason why the piece is so dark, except arround the female image. It helped me to produce this piece at a difficult moment in my life.

Bath in the Stream. I decided that I wanted a picture to work on when I was only at the Art Class. It was the same size as old long playing record. I really liked the central image of the smiling man in a sweaty dirty shirt. Unfortunately this piece has been lost and will never be completed, unless due to a miracle it comes back to me, which I doubt.

EBELL. An attempt to create a more traditional piece of collage art. It also holds the title of the smallest piece that I have produced. The title is taken from the cutting of a longer word that was used in the finished piece. Again it was an attempt to use images, such as the bullett belt and the black face as making a point about civil war in africian countries.

Neon Garbage Guerilla. The title comes from the pictures that were used in the construction of the piece. The main image is of a black guerilla and the moasic was made up from two pictures, one of a pile of rubbish, and the other a close up of a neon sign.

Arts Trial Piece July 2005

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As part of Poets Corner Summer Festival 2005, I was asked by the co-ordinator of the Arts Trail, Janina Karpinska, to produce pieces that reflected

the nature of the shopkeepers business in Portland Road. The pieces of art, poetry and photoraphs were displayed in the windows were to form the 'Arts Trail'. I had produced a piece called 'Birthday' in which the collage was made up of scraps taken from Birthday card envolpes and wrapping paper. As a nod to my influence, Kurt Schwitters I used the stamps from the envolpes as well in the piece. This was displayed in the window of Post Office, with lots of stationary items.
Hiroshima Picnic. This could also be seen as a 'policital' piece, but was more inspired by the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima. It shows a married couple having a picnic some 35 years later on the site where the bomb was dropped. I used a lot of green in the picture to portray that out of such horriors, a new life can be born. This piece was displayed in the window of 'Down to Earth' a health food shop.

Mother and Child. This piece was a direct attempt at producing a piece designed for a baby shop in Portland Road and was also taken from the iconic images of the Virgin Mary with the baby, Jesus. This piece was well recieved by Baby B who displayed it proudly in the window. I believe it was the most viewed piece of my work in the whole of the trail.

Craftsman. Produced to go into the window of a hardware shop, unfortunately it was not finished in time. This was the first time that I had used a picture that did not come out of one of the magazines that I had purchased from the charity shop. I made the mosaic sympathic to the colours in the main image. It has been mounted on painted wood and was up to this time the most popular of the pieces that I had produced.

It was a great honour and also very exciting to be involved in the 'Arts Trail' and I am hoping to produce pieces next year for the next one as part of the Poets Corner Summer Festival. It is great that the local traders are very interested in showcasing the wealth of talent that the area has to offer.

Early Work

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I started producing collage pieces in April of 2005. Inspired by Russian Icons and the work of German Dadaist, Kurt Schwitters, I decided to turn my hand to producing my first piece of Collage Art, 'Israel/Egypt'. I had been attending an art class that had inspired me to turn to the art of Collage, which had interested me, since reading a biography of Kurt Schwitters. It was on Saturday afternoon in April of 2005 that I sat down with several coloured magazines that I had purchased from a charity shop. Taking a face as the central theme from a carnival scene, I began to collage a mosaic of colour around the face taking different coloured pictures that were torn into scraps. The whole process took over 4 hours and when finished was mounted on painted wood and varnished. This piece has since been sold.

Fisherman. Inspired by the results of the first piece that I produced I continued with the central theme, and the coloured paper moasic signature, as I took this time a fisherman as my central image. This piece was also mounted on painted wood and was infact the first piece that I mounted.

Afghanistan has been called a 'political' piece by many that have seen it. It was my objective to make some comment about America's involvement in Afghanistan. The family faces that stare from where the American flag appears to be taking over the piece. It was interesting to note that the picture of the family that I used did not include an adult male (father) as I believe that they would be off fighting.

Sandwich Maker, was largest piece produced to date and was a chance to develop the style of the mosaic patterning. This so far is the largest central feature piece of work produced by myself.

Water Warrior, was exhibited at the Poets Corner Summer Festival 'Arts and Crafts' Exhibition and has recieved cricital aclaim. It is mounted on very heavy mdf which has also been painted.

Oriental Brown. This piece was a return to the style that I had developed from the first piece (Israel/Egypt) using a girl's face as the central theme. The picture was taken from a larger photograph that showed an oriental (Chinese) girl skiing. I tried to keep the mosaic this time as interesting as possible and used a lot of browns and reds in keeping with the flesh tones of the girl.

Oriental Brown, Afghanistan and Water Warrior were on display at the Pottery House Cafe in Portland Road for over a year.